With 4th-Best Win Record & Highest Average As Captain, Did Virat Kohli Deserve To Be Removed As Captain?

Virat Kohli's record as ODI captain is one of the best. Thus, the question arises if Virat Kohli actually deserves to be removed as the captain of the ODI team. 

A dejected Virat Kohli walks of the field during T20 World Cup 2021 | Image: Getty Images

The BCCI, on Thursday, announced that Rohit Sharma would be the captain of the Indian ODI cricket team. Notably, the BCCI did not announce any update about Virat Kohli stepping down as captain of ODIs. 

Fans and observers of the game were amused by the fact that there was no announcement made by the BCCI in the matter. Moreover, Virat Kohli's record as ODI captain is one of the best. Thus, the question arises if Virat Kohli actually deserves to be removed as the captain of the ODI team. 

Let's take a look at Kohli's Phenomenal record as ODI captain.

Virat Kohli as ODI captain won 65 out of 95 matches and lost 27, while in T20Is, Kohli won 30 out of 50. He has the fourth-highest win/loss ratio among captain who has played a minimum of 50 matches as captain. Only Clive Lloyd, Ricky Ponting and Hansie Cronje had better win/loss ratio than Virat Kohli in ODI cricket. 

As a batsman, Virat Kohli's record becomes even bright. As India's ODI captain, Virat Kohli scored 5449 runs at an average of 72.65. This is the highest ever batting average for a captain. 

MS Dhoni also features at the 4th spot with an average of 53.55. 

Phenomenal Record As Captain King Virat Kohli 🔥@imVkohli #ThankYouCaptainKohli #viratkholi #Virat #KingKohli #kohli #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/upfQmZeULK

— Avinash Batwara_VK_18 (@AvinashBatwara4) December 8, 2021

Looking at Kohli's numbers, it is a little tricky to understand the reason for stripping the Delhi batsman of captaincy. Having said that, Rohit Sharma has proven his worth as captain time and again, but fans are unable to digest the fact that Kohli was let off without a proper announcement. 

A PTI report claims that Virat Kohli was given 48 hours by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to voluntarily step down as captain and give the long-standing captain "an honourable exit route". Virat Kohli did not comply and by the 49th hour, he was sacked as captain, the report claims.