Virat Kohli on Saturday last went past his predecessor MS Dhoni's record of leading India in the most number of Test matches as he walked out for the toss in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against New Zealand. Dhoni had captained India in 60 Test matches before announcing his retirement from the longest format of the game. Kohli, who was handed the reins for the final Test match against Australia on the 2014-15 tour, is leading India for the 61st time in Test cricket.
Under Kohli India has been the most consistent Test side over the past 5 years. He has led India to victory in all the 11 Test series at home since taking over and has won in West Indies, Sri Lanka and twice in Australia. While Dhoni won 27 Test matches as captain and lost 18 in his 60 in charge, Kohli is also India's most successful Test captain with 36 wins and 14 losses.
Kohli is also the longest-serving Test captain for any Asian country with Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga and Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq behind him as they captained their respective teams in 56 Test matches each. During the toss, Kohli said, "We would've probably bowled first as well. But runs on the board has been our strength. As you saw the makeup of our side, the balance is such that we prepare for any conditions. We've been performing really well in Test cricket. For us this is just a Test match we have to be professional in, have to follow our processes.
