Virat Kohli: One of India’s finest ODI captains

An era has come to an end in Indian cricket with Rohit Sharma replacing Virat Kohli as skipper in white-ball cricket. The former’s appointment as ODI skipper was controversial as Kohli, who stepped down as T20I captain post the T20 World Cup 2021, last month had stated that he would like to continue leading the national team in the other two formats.

However, BCCI and selectors felt there shouldn’t be two captains in white-ball cricket and hence, Kohli was sacked as ODI captain. Although Kohli’s farewell as white-ball skipper was rather unceremonious, nothing can defy that he’s one of the finest captains ever in this format of the game. Leadership brought the best out of his Kohli as his ODI numbers are becoming full-time captain went to another level altogether.

Not to forget, Kohli took over the reins from none other than MS Dhoni, one of the finest captains ever. While the Delhi-born cricketer had massive shoes to fill, he embraced the challenge with brilliance. He played one sensational knock after another and took India to numerous wins. In fact, his win percentage of 70.43 is fourth-best among captains with at least 50 wins in ODIs.

Highest winning percentage among ODI captains (Min. 50 win)

The ever-consistent Virat Kohli became even more daunting after taking over the leadership role. In 95 matches as ODI skipper, the right-handed batter slammed 5449 runs, and that too at an average of over 70. His strike rate in this period was just below 100. Now, this is what you call leading from the front.

Highest batting average as ODI captain (Minimum 4000 runs)

Kohli’s obsession with hundreds is not hidden from anyone. While it takes a lot to reach the three-figure mark in ODIs, the 33-year-old has gotten the landmark quite often as a skipper. In fact, his tally of 21 ODI tons is the second-highest for any captain. Only Ricky Ponting, with 22 tons, is above Kohli.

Most centuries as ODI captain