Kohli loses 3 successive Tests for the first time as captain

Adelaide: After the meek surrender at Adelaide Oval against Australia, which saw them get bowled out for a record low of 36 and lose the first Test by eight wickets, India have now lost three consecutive Tests for the first time under Virat Kohli's captaincy.

India under Kohli had lost two successive Tests on three occasions before — in South Africa in 2018, in England in 2018 and in New Zealand this year. Including those two Tests in New Zealand, India have now lost three Tests in a row.

Kohli, who took over as regular skipper of the Indian team in 2015 in Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, had led India in a 2-0 defeat in the two-Test series in New Zealand this year prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in February-March. They lost the first Test at Wellington by 10 wickets and the second at Christchurch by seven wickets against Kane Williamson's boys. They lost the Adelaide game on by eight wickets Saturday to complete a hat-trick of losses.

India did not play a Test match after the New Zealand tour in February-March and the pink-ball Test here was the first after that.

Prior to the series loss in New Zealand, India had registered victory in seven successive Test matches — two in West Indies and five in India against South Africa and Bangladesh. That run of seven wins also included a day-night Test match against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Before this string of three losses, including the two losses in New Zealand, Kohli had led India to two successive Test losses on two occasions. In 2018, during the tour of England, India lost two successive Tests twice. They lost the first two Tests at Birmingham and lord's and then won one at Nottingham. They then lost the last two Tests at Southampton and at The Oval.

A few months before that, in January, 2018, they lost the first two Tests against South Africa in Cape Town and Centurion before winning the last one in Johannesburg.

Kohli has captained India in 56 Tests, winning 33 and losing 13. He has drawn 10 Tests. Twelve of his losses have come abroad with the only loss in India coming against Australia in Pune in February, 2017.

He is already India's most successful captain in Test matches, winning six more than MS Dhoni who led India to 27 wins.

(IANS).