Virat Kohli steps down as T20I skipper: A look at Kohli's captaincy credentials in T20Is
Virat Kohli on Thursday announced his decision to step down as T20I captain after the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held from October 17-November 14. Kohli had taken over as the captain in the shortest format in 2017 after MS Dhoni stepped down as captain.
Kohli captained the Indian team in 45 T20Is, leading the side to victory in 27 games. Under Kohli's captaincy, India lost 14 T20Is while two resulted in tie.
It will be the first time that Kohli will lead India in the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Incidentally, it will be Kohli's last tournament as T20I captain.
In a statement on his official Twitter profile, Kohli wrote that he took the decision to step down after a "lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai and also Rohit."
As Kohli's time as Team India's captain in the shortest format of the game draws to a close, let's take a look at his credentials as T20I skipper.
First Indian captain to win T20I bilaterals in SENA countries
India's T20I performances under Virat Kohli have been mighty impressive in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries, with his side registering bilateral series victories against all the countries in their backyard.
Team India had defeated South Africa 2-1 in February 2018, and beat England with the same score-line three months later in a three-match series.
In New Zealand, the side completed a 5-0 clean sweep victory. Following the resumption of cricket amid the COVID-19 pandemic, India registered a 2-1 win over Australia in December 2020.
Fifth among most wins as T20I captain
With 27 victories, Kohli stands fifth in most wins as T20I captain. While Afghanistan's Asghar Afghan remains top with 42 wins, India's former captain MS Dhoni has led India to 41 wins in 72 matches.
England's Eoin Morgan (37 wins) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (29 wins) from Pakistan are third and fourth respectively.
| Captains | Matches | Wins |
| Asghar Afghan (Afghanistan) | 52 | 42 |
| MS Dhoni (India) | 72 | 41 |
| Eoin Morgan (England) | 64 | 37 |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed (Pakistan) | 37 | 29 |
| Virat Kohli (India) | 45 | 27 |
Kohli shares the fifth position with former West Indies captain Daren Sammy, but boasts of a higher percentage of wins (65.11%).
Fastest to 1000 runs as T20I skipper
Kohli is the quickest to score 1000 runs as T20I captain (both men's and women's cricket). He reached the four-figure mark in 30 innings.
The 32-year-old broke former South African captain Faf du Plessis' record to reach the feat. The South African had scored 1000 runs in 31 innings.
