Wednesday, December 30 2021 – A day that witnessed another glorious chapter getting added to the history book of the gentlemen’s game. Virat Kohli’s India became the first Asian cricket team to win a Test match in Centurion, proving their supremacy in the longest format of the game once again.
There was a time when the Indian cricket team was written off by many greats of the game, just because it never had a charming track record in overseas Tests. Over the course of time, the team toiled hard and threw challenges to the opponents but victory on foreign soil seemed a distant dream. They did manage to win at least one game in the past tours but dominating a team in their own backyard wasn’t the thing India were known for.
The world changed thereafter and so did the Indian team. In 2018, India toured South Africa and despite boasting some superstars in the side, they lost back-to-back games to the Proteas and ultimately, gave away the series. The losses might have hand pinched their souls and when they arrived in Johannesburg to play the final game of the series, it seemed like they are on a mission to do something unimaginable.
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A 63-run win not only made Kohli the third Indian captain to win a Test in the Rainbow Nation but it marked the beginning of a journey that jolted the egos of big guns like Australia and England. Under Kohli’s captaincy, India developed a habit of breaching the fortresses of other teams. After a horrendous England trip in 2018, the series Down Under was a pathbreaking moment. But 2021 was way more interesting.
In January, India started off the things by thumping the Aussies at the Gabba – a venue where the hosts were unbeaten for the last thirty years. In August, we went to the United Kingdom and we floored the Englishmen with our grit and courage at the Lord’s. Kohli & Co. lead the series 2-1, with the final game yet to be played (in 2022). And the final nail in the coffin was hit on Wednesday when South Africa was defeated by the Indians. The visitors won by 113 runs in Centurion to end one of the historic years for Indian cricket.
This Boxing Day Test triumph will always have special mention because of two people – cricketer-turned-coach Rahul Dravid and current captain Kohli.
Dravid was the first Indian skipper to win a Test in South Africa. Years after the jubilation in 2006-07 in Johannesburg, he was back in the dressing room as the guiding light. As a result, India came out with flying colours after dominating the Proteas almost every day. If Dravid was the first captain to experience the first victory, Kohli becomes the first Indian captain to do it twice, that too, in two consecutive games. Also, he’s the only Asian captain to lead his team to a promising win at the SuperSport Park.
This win also glorifies Kohli’s Test captaincy record that has some of the fantastic firsts – first captain to beat Australia in their home, dominate England with an unassailable lead and then outclass South Africans in their own backyard. The list is likely to get achievement-rich with the presence of Rahul Dravid who is the driving force for the team and it won’t be wrong to call him the ‘invisible assassin’ for the opponents.
On the personal front, this 113-run victory will give a massive sense of satisfaction to a man who had just lost his captaincy in the ODIs. After too much commotion, winning a Test in South Africa is a statement from the 31-year-old that his brain is no lesser tactical when it comes to winning games. And those who wanted him out from the whites can reconsider their thoughts… they have enough time!
A look at Kohli’s captaincy records:
How good Virat Kohli has been as Test captain of India? Well, here are the numbers that are actually the answers to this question.
67 matches, 40 won, lost 16 and drawn 11.
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Statistically, Kohli has the most number of Test wins and is ahead of former captain MS Dhoni in the list of Test captains with the most number of wins in the longest format of the game. Graeme Smith is at the top (53 won from 109 games) while Ricky Ponting is second (48 won from 77 games) on the list with most Test wins.
Following the Boxing Day Test win, Kohli became the third captain in international cricket to reach the figures of 40 in terms of the number of matches won. Dhoni had led India in 60 matches but won only 27 before calling it quits in 2014.
Kohli eye big milestone
India are 1-0 up in the series. With 2 more matches to go, the visitors have a great chance to stamp authority in South Africa. If they win the next game in Johannesburg, history will be scripted again.
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