The biggest Test match of the year is almost upon us. The World Test Championship (WTC) final is just 3 days away and the teams are fully geared up for the marquee clash. New Zealand and India, who happen to be the No.1 and No.2 Test teams in the world respectively, will fight for the ultimate Test trophy and incidentally, the Test Mace, at the Ageas Rose Bowl in Southampton.
The captains of the side, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson are without a doubt, two of the best batsmen of this generation. Alongside Steve Smith and Joe Root, they form the fabled ‘fab-four’. Their records in batting are staggering but how have they fared as captains of their national side?
Let’s take a look at the stats and records of both the captains
1) Captaincy record in Tests
Virat Kohli has captained India in 60 Test matches so far. Out of the 60, the team has won 36 and lost 14, with 10 matches ending in draws. He is India’s most successful Test captain and after the WTC Final, he will go past MS Dhoni to become India’s highest played matches as captain.
Kane Williamson, on the other hand, has captained New Zealand in 36 Tests. The Kiwis have won 21of those and lost only eight, with seven matches ending in draws. He is currently second on the list of New Zealand captains to have led the country in most matches. Stephen Fleming holds the record right now, and will likely continue as he’s led them in a whopping 80 Tests.
2) Captaincy record in the WTC
Virat Kohli has led India in 14 WTC matches. India have come out as victors on 10 of those occasions while losing four games. They haven’t played a single draw under Virat Kohli in the WTC.
Kane Williamson has captained the Kiwis in nine games in the WTC. Of these, New Zealand have won six and lost three, with no draws on the board. Of the three defeats, two were against Australia and one was against Sri Lanka.
3) Batting record as Captain
Virat has scored 5392 runs in 60 matches, including 20 hundreds, at an average of 58.60. Ten of his Test tons as captain have come at home, which includes a career-best 254* against South Africa in October 2019. He has also registered four in Australia and two each in England and South Africa. Out of the SENA countries, he lacks a century only in New Zealand.
Williamson on the other hand has 3092 runs to show for his efforts at an average of 60.62. His highest score of 251* against West Indies incidentally came as a captain of the side. Out of his 11 tons as skipper, nine have come at home, one in Zimbabwe and one in the UAE, against Pakistan. Williamson is yet to score a century as captain in the ISEA countries.