Rohit Sharma can surpass Virat Kohli's captaincy record in WTC with 3 wins in IND vs NZ 2024 Test series
Rohit Sharma-led Team India recently beat Bangladesh 2-0 in a two-match Test series at home. India are now set to take on New Zealand in a three-match Test series, which also will be played at home. The series will begin with the first Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from October 16 to October 20. The subsequent matches will be played in Pune and Mumbai.
Rohit impressed as captain during the Test series against Bangladesh but failed to make an impact with the bat. He registered the highest score of 23 from four innings. The 37-year-old will thus be keen to do well both as leader and batter during the Test series against the Kiwis.
The opening batter is on the verge of reaching a few significant milestones during the three-match Test series against New Zealand. If India manage to win all three matches against the Kiwis, Rohit will become India's most successful captain in the World Test Championship (WTC) surpassing Virat Kohli.
Kohli led India in 22 Test matches during his tenure as captain out of which the team won 14 and lost seven, while one match ended in a draw. The 35-year-old ended his stint with a win percentage of 63.63 in the WTC. As for Rohit, he has so far led India in 18 WTC matches, winning 12 and losing four, while two games have ended in a draw. The current Indian skipper has a win percentage of 66.66.
Further, if India whitewash New Zealand 3-0 in the three-match Test series at home, he will become the country's fourth most successful captain. The Mumbai cricketer has so far led India in 128 matches across formats, winning 95 games. Sourav Ganguly (97 wins from 196 matches) is ahead of him on the list.
Former India captain MS Dhoni holds the record for having won most matches for the team as captain. He led the country in 332 matches across formats, winning 178 and losing 120. In the illustrious list, Dhoni is followed by Kohli (135 wins) and Mohammad Azharuddin (104 wins).
What is Rohit Sharma's record as batter in the World Test Championship?
Looking at Rohit's overall record as a batter in the World Test Championship, the opener has featured in 34 matches so far and has scored 2,594 runs at an average of 47.16, with nine hundreds and seven half-centuries.
The right-handed batter is India's leading run-getter in the WTC followed by Kohli (2334 runs). Overall, England's Joe Root is the leading run-scorer in the WTC. In 59 matches, he has notched up 5,235 runs, averaging 53.41, with the aid of 17 centuries and 20 half-centuries.