Virat Kohli becomes only the second captain to lead India in 50 Tests

Indian skipper Virat Kohli became just the second Indian captain to lead India in 50 test matches when he came out for toss in the second Test against South Africa in Pune. The only other Indian captain to achieve this feat is MS Dhoni. The former skipper led India in 60 tests between 2008 and 2014. The third on the list is Sourav Ganguly who captained India 49 times during 2000 and 2005.

ALSO, READ | 'MS Dhoni Best White-ball Captain Of This Era', Says Michael Vaughan

The current Indian skipper addressed the media on the eve of the second Test. "I feel I am lucky enough to be in this position. I am grateful that I have been able to play so many games for India, let alone captain so many games. It is a nice little landmark but the focus is to win as many Test matches as possible and just win every game we can. Stats and numbers don't matter to me but when the team recognises these little things, it means something to me as a player. I'm grateful for whatever has happened in my career so far," Kohli was quoted as saying by PTI.

ALSO, READ | Captain Virat Kohli's Brilliant Numbers As Skipper Continue To Soar

Kohli had stepped in as captain for Dhoni in the Adelaide Test of 2014 against Australia. He scored back-to-back centuries in that match but India ended up losing that game. After Dhoni's shocking retirement from Test cricket mid-way through the series Down Under, Kohli was appointed as the full-time Test captain. Kohli's batting only got better with his appointment as captain. He scored double hundreds in 4 successive series and is the only captain to hit 6 double hundreds in Test cricket. Under Kohli's leadership, India managed to reclaim the top spot in ICC rankings.

ALSO, READ | Nita Ambani Recalls Jasprit Bumrah's Journey, Heaps Praise On Him

Kohli's captaincy stats in Tests:

• Won- 29 (59.18%)
• Lost- 10 (20.41%)
• Draw- 10 (20.41%)
• Toss Won- 23 (46.94%

In August, Kohli became the most successful Indian captain ever against West Indies when the Indian team beat them 2-0. Kohli has now won 29 tests out of the 49 he has captained. He has lost 10 and drawn 10 matches. Kohli's win-loss ratio of 2.9 is also the best for any Indian captain and third overall behind Australia's Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

ALSO, READ | Ind Vs SA 2nd Test: Weather Forecast, Pitch Report And Other Details