The Virat Kohli era of Indian Test captaincy has come to an end with the batter giving up the post recently. The 33-year old was very disappointed with the series loss to South Africa as India clearly came into the country as the favorites. He has already given up captaincy in the white-ball format as well as for <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rcb-might-have-already-approached-ab-de-villiers-for-a-coaching-role-ahead-of-ipl-2022-aakash-chopra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RCB</a></strong> in IPL but will remain to be the most important batter in the lineup.

Kohli has come a long way in terms of taking the Test side to the number one position for a long time and has clearly been the most successful Indian skipper in the longer format. His stats do tell the story and he has set a big benchmark for the next captains in the queue. His aggressiveness and passion for the format as a captain have always been the hallmark and it is unfortunate that he will have to give after a loss.

Kohli&#8217;s personal form in recent times hasn&#8217;t been at his best yet as he has failed to score an international century for the last two years. Meanwhile, his decisions have made sometimes earned a lot of criticism while most of them have been appreciable.

<strong>Here are 3 controversial decisions Virat Kohli took during his Test captaincy tenure.</strong>

3. Backing Rahane and Pujara despite inconsistent form since 2020

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-479333" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajinkya-Rahane-and-Cheteshwar-Pujara.jpg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-479333" class="wp-caption-text">Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

This has been the talking point of the recently concluded Test series in South Africa as the management and Virat Kohli had continuously backed the experienced campaigners Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara despite their inconsistent form. The duo had been under the scanner for not being able to score runs consistently and they have been given a lot of chances after some odd fifties and centuries.

Pujara hasn&#8217;t scored a century for the last three years, while Rahane&#8217;s average has dropped significantly from the 50s in 2016 to as low as 38. Both these cricketers have been given a lot of respect for stepping up in tough conditions but they did not manage to repay the faith in the South Africa tour as they had a combined average of 21 in the series. With Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari doing well in their chances, a lot of experts and fans had wanted them out of the experienced duo to be replaced but Kohli seems to continue their backing.

2. Benching R Ashwin in the England Tour of 2021

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-485554" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Ashwin-and-Virat-Kohli.jpg" alt="Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-485554" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption>

Ravichandran Ashwin has proved to be one of the best spinners going around the world and it came out as a big surprise when he did not feature in a single Test in the England tour last year. The off-spinners overseas records have been improving and he came into the series on the back of some good County games as well. With a lot of left-handers in the England lineup, Ashwin would have been very handy.

However, Kohli stuck to his plans of four fast bowler theory and the all-rounder in <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ravindra-jadeja-recreates-allu-arjuns-raw-look-from-pushpa-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravindra Jadeja</a></strong>. The move did backfire to a certain extent in the third Test when India lost and there were a lot of faces wanting Ashwin to get a game in the series. It has to be said, Ashwin was at his best form during the series and he deserved a place ahead of a fast bowler.

1. Dropping Ajinkya Rahane in previous South Africa tour of 2018

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-489770" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajinkya-Rahane-4.jpg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-489770" class="wp-caption-text">Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

Ajinkya Rahane did come through a similar rough patch in 2017 where he broke a lot of records for the lowest averages in a series for top-order batters. However, he still remained the best batter for India in SENA countries and his performance in away conditions had always been a plus for him. However, after a poor series against Sri Lanka, Rahane&#8217;s place in the side remained a question mark in the 2018 tour to South Africa.

Going into the first Test, India made a bold call of dropping the experienced <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/thats-not-my-job-to-sit-and-discuss-here-virat-kohli-on-ajinkya-rahane-and-pujaras-place-in-indias-test-side/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rahane </a></strong>and credited Rohit for his better form at home. Rohit struggled in the two Tests with the highest score of 47 and Rahane was picked for the 3rd Test. The vice-captain made an excellent comeback with a 48 in the second innings in tough conditions for the batter and helped to win the Johannesburg Test. It looked like Kohli&#8217;s move to drop Rahane for the first 2 Tests wasn&#8217;t ideal as India lost the series 2-1.

<p>The Virat Kohli era of Indian Test captaincy has come to an end with the batter giving up the post recently. The 33-year old was very disappointed with the series loss to South Africa as India clearly came into the country as the favorites. He has already given up captaincy in the white-ball format as well as for <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rcb-might-have-already-approached-ab-de-villiers-for-a-coaching-role-ahead-of-ipl-2022-aakash-chopra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RCB</a></strong> in IPL but will remain to be the most important batter in the lineup.</p>
<p>Kohli has come a long way in terms of taking the Test side to the number one position for a long time and has clearly been the most successful Indian skipper in the longer format. His stats do tell the story and he has set a big benchmark for the next captains in the queue. His aggressiveness and passion for the format as a captain have always been the hallmark and it is unfortunate that he will have to give after a loss.</p>
<p>Kohli’s personal form in recent times hasn’t been at his best yet as he has failed to score an international century for the last two years. Meanwhile, his decisions have made sometimes earned a lot of criticism while most of them have been appreciable.</p>
<h3><strong>Here are 3 controversial decisions Virat Kohli took during his Test captaincy tenure.</strong></h3>
<h3>3. Backing Rahane and Pujara despite inconsistent form since 2020</h3>
<figure id="attachment_479333" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-479333" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-479333" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajinkya-Rahane-and-Cheteshwar-Pujara.jpg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-479333" class="wp-caption-text">Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>This has been the talking point of the recently concluded Test series in South Africa as the management and Virat Kohli had continuously backed the experienced campaigners Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara despite their inconsistent form. The duo had been under the scanner for not being able to score runs consistently and they have been given a lot of chances after some odd fifties and centuries.</p>
<p>Pujara hasn’t scored a century for the last three years, while Rahane’s average has dropped significantly from the 50s in 2016 to as low as 38. Both these cricketers have been given a lot of respect for stepping up in tough conditions but they did not manage to repay the faith in the South Africa tour as they had a combined average of 21 in the series. With Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari doing well in their chances, a lot of experts and fans had wanted them out of the experienced duo to be replaced but Kohli seems to continue their backing.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>2. Benching R Ashwin in the England Tour of 2021</h3>
<figure id="attachment_485554" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-485554" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-485554" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Ashwin-and-Virat-Kohli.jpg" alt="Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-485554" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ravichandran Ashwin has proved to be one of the best spinners going around the world and it came out as a big surprise when he did not feature in a single Test in the England tour last year. The off-spinners overseas records have been improving and he came into the series on the back of some good County games as well. With a lot of left-handers in the England lineup, Ashwin would have been very handy.</p>
<p>However, Kohli stuck to his plans of four fast bowler theory and the all-rounder in <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ravindra-jadeja-recreates-allu-arjuns-raw-look-from-pushpa-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravindra Jadeja</a></strong>. The move did backfire to a certain extent in the third Test when India lost and there were a lot of faces wanting Ashwin to get a game in the series. It has to be said, Ashwin was at his best form during the series and he deserved a place ahead of a fast bowler.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>1. Dropping Ajinkya Rahane in previous South Africa tour of 2018</h3>
<figure id="attachment_489770" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-489770" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-489770" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajinkya-Rahane-4.jpg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-489770" class="wp-caption-text">Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ajinkya Rahane did come through a similar rough patch in 2017 where he broke a lot of records for the lowest averages in a series for top-order batters. However, he still remained the best batter for India in SENA countries and his performance in away conditions had always been a plus for him. However, after a poor series against Sri Lanka, Rahane’s place in the side remained a question mark in the 2018 tour to South Africa.</p>
<p>Going into the first Test, India made a bold call of dropping the experienced <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/thats-not-my-job-to-sit-and-discuss-here-virat-kohli-on-ajinkya-rahane-and-pujaras-place-in-indias-test-side/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rahane </a></strong>and credited Rohit for his better form at home. Rohit struggled in the two Tests with the highest score of 47 and Rahane was picked for the 3rd Test. The vice-captain made an excellent comeback with a 48 in the second innings in tough conditions for the batter and helped to win the Johannesburg Test. It looked like Kohli’s move to drop Rahane for the first 2 Tests wasn’t ideal as India lost the series 2-1.</p>

<p>The Virat Kohli era of Indian Test captaincy has come to an end with the batter giving up the post recently. The 33-year old was very disappointed with the series loss to South Africa as India clearly came into the country as the favorites. He has already given up captaincy in the white-ball format as well as for <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/rcb-might-have-already-approached-ab-de-villiers-for-a-coaching-role-ahead-of-ipl-2022-aakash-chopra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RCB</a></strong> in IPL but will remain to be the most important batter in the lineup.</p>
<p>Kohli has come a long way in terms of taking the Test side to the number one position for a long time and has clearly been the most successful Indian skipper in the longer format. His stats do tell the story and he has set a big benchmark for the next captains in the queue. His aggressiveness and passion for the format as a captain have always been the hallmark and it is unfortunate that he will have to give after a loss.</p>
<p>Kohli&#8217;s personal form in recent times hasn&#8217;t been at his best yet as he has failed to score an international century for the last two years. Meanwhile, his decisions have made sometimes earned a lot of criticism while most of them have been appreciable.</p>
<h3><strong>Here are 3 controversial decisions Virat Kohli took during his Test captaincy tenure.</strong></h3>
<h3>3. Backing Rahane and Pujara despite inconsistent form since 2020</h3>
<figure id="attachment_479333" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-479333" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-479333" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajinkya-Rahane-and-Cheteshwar-Pujara.jpg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-479333" class="wp-caption-text">Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>This has been the talking point of the recently concluded Test series in South Africa as the management and Virat Kohli had continuously backed the experienced campaigners Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara despite their inconsistent form. The duo had been under the scanner for not being able to score runs consistently and they have been given a lot of chances after some odd fifties and centuries.</p>
<p>Pujara hasn&#8217;t scored a century for the last three years, while Rahane&#8217;s average has dropped significantly from the 50s in 2016 to as low as 38. Both these cricketers have been given a lot of respect for stepping up in tough conditions but they did not manage to repay the faith in the South Africa tour as they had a combined average of 21 in the series. With Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari doing well in their chances, a lot of experts and fans had wanted them out of the experienced duo to be replaced but Kohli seems to continue their backing.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>2. Benching R Ashwin in the England Tour of 2021</h3>
<figure id="attachment_485554" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-485554" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-485554" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravi-Ashwin-and-Virat-Kohli.jpg" alt="Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-485554" class="wp-caption-text">Ravi Ashwin and Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ravichandran Ashwin has proved to be one of the best spinners going around the world and it came out as a big surprise when he did not feature in a single Test in the England tour last year. The off-spinners overseas records have been improving and he came into the series on the back of some good County games as well. With a lot of left-handers in the England lineup, Ashwin would have been very handy.</p>
<p>However, Kohli stuck to his plans of four fast bowler theory and the all-rounder in <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ravindra-jadeja-recreates-allu-arjuns-raw-look-from-pushpa-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravindra Jadeja</a></strong>. The move did backfire to a certain extent in the third Test when India lost and there were a lot of faces wanting Ashwin to get a game in the series. It has to be said, Ashwin was at his best form during the series and he deserved a place ahead of a fast bowler.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>1. Dropping Ajinkya Rahane in previous South Africa tour of 2018</h3>
<figure id="attachment_489770" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-489770" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-489770" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ajinkya-Rahane-4.jpg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-489770" class="wp-caption-text">Ajinkya Rahane. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Ajinkya Rahane did come through a similar rough patch in 2017 where he broke a lot of records for the lowest averages in a series for top-order batters. However, he still remained the best batter for India in SENA countries and his performance in away conditions had always been a plus for him. However, after a poor series against Sri Lanka, Rahane&#8217;s place in the side remained a question mark in the 2018 tour to South Africa.</p>
<p>Going into the first Test, India made a bold call of dropping the experienced <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/thats-not-my-job-to-sit-and-discuss-here-virat-kohli-on-ajinkya-rahane-and-pujaras-place-in-indias-test-side/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rahane </a></strong>and credited Rohit for his better form at home. Rohit struggled in the two Tests with the highest score of 47 and Rahane was picked for the 3rd Test. The vice-captain made an excellent comeback with a 48 in the second innings in tough conditions for the batter and helped to win the Johannesburg Test. It looked like Kohli&#8217;s move to drop Rahane for the first 2 Tests wasn&#8217;t ideal as India lost the series 2-1.</p>

With 40 wins in 68 Tests, Virat Kohli is India's most successful Test captain.

3 controversial decisions Virat Kohli took during his Test captaincy tenure

Virat Kohli has always been potrayed as the best ever Test captain for India, but there has been times when his decisions did backfire to an extent