Stats: A look at Virat Kohli’s staggering numbers as India’s T20I captain

It’s the end of an era as Virat Kohli brings curtains to his captaincy career in T20Is. He took India to a nine-wicket triumph against Namibia in the T20 World Cup 2021 in his last assignment. Having taken over as India’s full-time captain in 2017, the talismanic batter has held the reins of the T20I team for nearly five years. However, the Men in Blue played a plethora of T20 cricket in this period and Kohli did exceptionally well.

Although he couldn’t take India to glory in his first and last T20 World Cup as captain, the 33-year-old has many things to cherish. He led the side from the front and made his bat talk consistently. Be it anchoring the innings in the middle overs or giving his side a fiery finish, Kohli embraced every challenge which came his way and took India to numerous wins.

Virat Kohli – The Captain who leads from the storm

One thing is pretty certain that leadership brings the best out of Kohli and that’s evident in his numbers. Unlike his predecessor MS Dhoni, Kohli isn’t someone who holds back in showcasing his emotions. He instead allows himself to express himself and wants his players to do the same. That’s certainly evident in his animated celebrations after the fall of any wicket.

While questions have been raised over his strategies and approach, some of Kohli’s unorthodox decisions have been spot on. From making KL Rahul the wicketkeeper to bringing wrist spinners in white-ball teams, Kohli took several decisions which initially raised eyebrows but proved to be a masterstroke. As the talismanic batter ends his T20I captaincy career, let’s look at how he did as a leader in the shortest international format.

Although it might sound a bit surprising, Kohli ends his stint as the fourth-most successful captain in T20I history. In 50 matches he led India, the Men in Blue emerged victorious on 32 occasions. Only Eoin Morgan, MS Dhoni, and Asghar Afghan are above Kohli on this list.

Most wins as captains in T20Is: –

As mentioned above, leadership brings the best out of Kohli. That’s certainly evident in his batting numbers. While he’s the overall leading-getter in this format of the game, he’s second in terms of most runs as captain. Australia’s Aaron Finch pips him in this aspect.

Most runs in T20Is as captain:-