On this day, September 1: Virat Kohli’s first series victory as India’s Test captain came against Sri Lanka in 2015. India won the three-match series 2-1 and it was their first Test series win in Sri Lankan soil in 22 years. Virat Kohli had taken over the Test captaincy after MS Dhoni retired from the format at the end of 2014. His first full series in charge began with a setback in Galle when they lost the Test. Despite dominating large parts of the match and taking a big first-innings lead, India collapsed while chasing a modest 176 and lost by 63 runs in the first Test.
The Indian team bounced back strongly in the second Test at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo. Centuries from Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane along with a five-wicket haul from Ravichandran Ashwin, helped India seal a comprehensive 278-run victory and level the series. The third Test was also in Colombo and on September 1, 2015 with the visitors winning.
India set Sri Lanka a target of 386. On the final day the hosts resumed at 67 for 3 and were eventually bowled out for 268. India won by 117 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara scored 145 in the first innings and was the Player of the Match, while Ashwin finished as Player of the Series with 21 wickets. This hard-fought 2-1 series was Kohli’s first Test series win.
He went on to become a successful captain in Tests. Virat Kohli led India in 68 Test matches, winning 40, losing 17 and drawing 11. His win percentage of 58.82 remains the highest by any Indian Test captain, and he also built a team that did well overseas and led India’s first series win in Australia.
