MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli? Who has been the most successful Indian captain in Australia? A comparative analysis of their records in Australia shows a marked difference in fortunes.
Dhoni, often criticized for his defensive captaincy in Australia over the years, has decent performances in the shorter formats, but has fared terribly as a test pattern. Kohli, on the other hand, has led the Australian bull by the horns in his step as a patron in the longer formats.
| Tests | Win | Giveaways | Losses | |
| MS Dhoni | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| virat Kohli | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
2011/12 (MS Dhoni) – ‘A funeral ending to the greatest era of Indian cricket’
Result: AUS 4-0
With players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman still on the squad, and youngsters Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin pushing their way through the ranks, there were high hopes for Dhoni’s first team in Australia.
However, the tour was a disaster. India was left blank in the four-round series, including two inning losses. Dhoni’s defensive fields were criticized. Investigations were carried out into the ill-fated actions of India. It was even suggested that India have a different pattern for testing.
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Kohli and Tendulkar were the only Indian hitters who averaged more than 35 in the series. Dhoni himself also fared poorly, averaging 20. Zaheer Khan (15 wickets) was the most successful Indian bowler in the series, but got little support.
First Test – AUS won by 122 races
Dhoni said it was the hitting that went down next. The team, he said, also needs to find ways to break through the lower order of the opposition.
2nd round: AUS won by innings and 68 runs
India was completely outmatched, chasing the game from the second session of the match. This was India’s sixth straight away Test defeat and Dhoni admitted it was a “difficult time” for the team.
He said, “Sometimes you will lose. You will face difficult times. That improves you as an individual and as an employer. If everything is easy for you, then you really don’t appreciate the kind of hard work that goes into it. [winning]. This is a phase where I think the team will get stronger. Of course, it will not be reflected in the result at this time, but overall, it will really help us. “
‘Rock Bottom’ is where the Indian team met on the 2011/12 tour. (File photo / BCCI)
Test 3: AUS won by one inning and 37 runs
India’s seventh outright defeat, and a more complete one, caused the press to call India’s trial side a “unit in ruins.” “It takes a lot of introspection,” said Sunil Gavaskar, suggesting strengthening the first-class cricket structure in the country.
Maninder Singh said: “I think MS Dhoni has a habit of staying behind and waiting for things to happen. I think we have to find a new captain for the test matches. “
Dhoni was banned for the fourth test due to slow Indian rates. “Bottoming” is where the Indian test team was placed, analysts said. The captaincy was Dhoni’s “crutch” on the test team rather than him being an asset to the team, they said.
2014/15 (Dhoni / Kohli) – Changing of the guard
Result: AUS 2-0
Kohli (692 4-round races with an average of 87) was a man on fire in this series, the midway series in which he was named captain of the India test after a surprise retirement press conference from Dhoni. Kohli was also supported by Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, both averaging over 50. Mohammed Shami was the most incisive bowler in India.
First Test (Kohli) – AUS won by 48 runs
This was another loss, but for many, it was a loss that felt like a victory. Needing 365 to win in 98 overs on the final day of the Test, Kohli, captaining the side with Dhoni “rested”, and Murali Vijay went for the kill. At various times during the day, it seemed that India was close to a famous victory. Nathan Lyon, however, went through the last order and India lost a close test.
“We played the kind of cricket we wanted,” Kohli told the press conference, on how to fulfill his promise of aggression before the game.
2nd round (Dhoni) – AUS won by 4 wickets
India ran close to Australia in this test as well, as Dhoni again led, but was undone by an assault by Mitchell Johnson with the bat as the visitors opted to throw a short stretch for the southpaw which will later be questioned. India would complain about the nature of the practice fields provided to them after this match.
3rd Round (Dhoni) – Match drawn
Dhoni (24 *) was in the fold on the last day of the Test as both captains decided that no result in the match would be possible. Surprisingly, this would turn out to be the last appearance of Dhoni in white. He announced his retirement from the longer format after this match.
MS Dhoni announced its withdrawal from testing midway through the 2014/15 series, leaving the longer format without ever having won at Australi. (File photo / BCCI)
Fourth Test (Kohli) – Match tied
Virat Kohli’s first test as full-time captain of India, with Wriddhiman Saha also promoted to full-time test goalkeeper in Dhoni’s absence. India was pushed to the limit in the match, but Ajinkya Rahane stood his ground to force a draw.
2018/19 (Kohli) – A historic win in the series
Result: IND 2-1
First Test: IND won by 31 races
India secured its first test victory in Australia since 2008 to lead a series in the country for only the second time. Jasprit Bumrah provided most of the match’s key moments, and Australia struggled to keep up in the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner, both serving their one-year bans during the series.
2nd round – AUS won by 146 runs
Nathan Lyon forced a collapse in the fourth inning for India, chasing 287 for the win. The series was thus tied at 1-1.
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Third Test: IND won by 137 runs
Bumrah excelled again, becoming the first Indian pacemaker to achieve 9 wickets in a test in Australia. “The credit has to go to our bowlers, especially Jasprit, they have been outstanding,” Kohli said after the game. India took a 2-1 lead in the series and made sure to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
4th Test – Drawn match
Cheteshwar Pujara’s 193s ensured that India was also comfortably on top of the final match of the series, which ended in a draw. India thus beat Australia at home for the first time. The visitors not only won the series, but also beat Australia throughout the series, barring the exploits of Lyon in the second test.
Note: The following is a comparative analysis of the Dhoni and Kohli fortunes as a standard in the bilateral ODI and T20I series in Australia.
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