5 Reasons Why Virat Kohli Was A Better Captain Than Rohit Sharma

It’s easy to get carried away by Rohit Sharma’s 5 IPL title wins with Mumbai Indians as a captain and to forget what an outstanding group of players he had around him. Apart from winning five titles with MI as captain, Rohit Sharma also won an IPL as a player with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in 2009.

Mumbai Indians-the most successful franchise in the history of the IPL has won five titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, all under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. But they failed to make it to the playoffs in IPL 2021 and IPL 2022.

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Since taking over the captaincy reins from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma has had some phenomenal results as India’s skipper. In fact, the Hitman has won 10 bilateral series on the trot, a feat that any player in the world would be proud to achieve.

Virat Kohli didn’t win any major titles as Indian captain, but he was instrumental in India’s most successful phase as a Test team. His record of 40 Test wins is behind only Graeme Smith (53), Ricky Ponting (48) and Steve Waugh (41).

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Virat Kohli has captained India for nearly 5 years and has a good win percentage in all three formats. But what was disappointing was that he failed to win an ICC trophy like T20 and ODI World Cups and Champions Trophy as well as other big tournaments like Asia Cup.

1. Virat Kohli Led From The Front After MS Dhoni Retired; Rohit Sharma’s Averages After Virat Kohli’s Retirement As Skipper Not Great

The hallmark of a good skipper is the ability to lead by example. When MS Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy, Virat Kohli was well aware of the big shoes he had to fill. MS Dhoni, as we all know, has a stellar record as a skipper, especially in limited overs. Having won the T20 World Cup (2007), the 50-over World Cup (2011), and the Champions Trophy (2013), MS Dhoni is the only skipper in the history of the sport to have won all ICC trophies.

Despite the weight of expectations riding on his shoulders, Virat Kohli grabbed the opportunity with both hands and inspired confidence among his teammates by leading from the front. Virat  Kohli, who only recently saw his average in Tests dip below 50, scored seven double-hundreds as India’s skipper, creating a new record for most double-hundreds by a skipper in Tests. He also boasted an unreal batting average of 72.65 as a skipper in ODIs.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma averages 60.92 as an ODI skipper, but only 32.49 as a T20I skipper and 30 as a Test skipper. While his ODI averages as a skipper are excellent, most of those matches came before he was appointed full-time permanent all-format skipper after Virat Kohli’s retirement as skipper. Virat Kohli averaged 54.8 as a Test skipper, 72.65 as an ODI skipper, and 47.58 as a T20I skipper.

2. Virat Kohli’s Hunger For Winning Games; Rohit Sharma Is Laid Back

Irrespective of how great a skipper is, they will always be judged by the number of wins they have under their belt. An interesting aspect of Virat Kohli’s captaincy was the hunger to win games even in the most unfavorable conditions.

The Delhi cricketer instilled an aggressive-minded approach in the team from the very onset of his captaincy. Under him, the Men in Blue no longer played for draws, opting for a never-give-up attitude even if it meant losing a few matches. The players, especially the bowlers, rallied around their skipper to push for a win by going for wickets rather than trying to save runs.

Virat Kohli’s style of captaincy was once again evident during India’s memorable win against England at Lord’s last year. Having set England a target of 272 to win in 60 overs on the final day, the current ex-skipper delivered a fiery speech to his teammates before taking the field. The speech seemed to have rubbed off on the team as India went on to dismiss the hosts for 120 runs, with Mohammed Siraj claiming four wickets.

Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had shared his opinion on Rohit Sharma’s captaincy saying he is a bit laid-back leader but is also composed at times.

3. More Experience As Skipper In Tests

Virat Kohli has an impeccable captaincy record in Test cricket. He has captained India in 68 Test matches and won 40 of them, becoming the most successful Indian Test captain. The Delhi batter has been the captain for 24 Test series, won 18 of them, and has not lost a single series at home. Under his captaincy, India defeated Australia in a Test series for the first time in Australia.

He also led India into the finals of the World Test Championship. In his tenure of seven years as the Test captain, Virat Kohli holds the record for scoring the most number of double centuries and for being the highest run-getter as an Indian Test captain. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has led in only 2 Tests and although he won both against Sri Lanka, it came at home conditions.

4. Virat Kohli Led India To Most Tests Win In SENA Countries

In SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries, Virat Kohli has won seven Tests. The next best for an Indian captain in these countries is just three wins. In fact, among all Asian captains, Virat Kohli is on top. Wasim Akram and Javed Miandad led Pakistan to four Test win in SENA countries.

5. Virat Kohli Nurtured Indian Pace Attack

While India did produce talented fast bowlers like Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan, it was during Virat Kohli’s tenure that the team finally got a rich pool of quicks. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Umesh Yadav, among others like Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mohammed Siraj, all prospered under the Delhi cricketer’s captaincy.

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah