Right after India lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 on June 29, two stalwarts of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their decision to step down from T20I cricket.
The two modern-day greats served Indian cricket for close to two decades and have won several accolades for the country both as a player and as captain.
After MS Dhoni decided to leave the captaincy in the limited over formats in 2017, Virat Kohli was given the responsibility to lead the team initially, but Kohli ultimately stepped down in 2021 making way for Rohit to take his spot.
Who has been a better captain among the two? It has been a question of debate for quite some time now. In this article, TSN let's take a look at how both of these Indian legends have led the team across all formats of the game.
Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma: Who has a better captaincy record in Tests?
Virat Kohli has been a very successful captain in the longest format of the game - with a win percentage of over 70%. He has led the team in a total of 68 test matches compared to Rohit's 16.
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| Player | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | No Result | Win% |
| Virat Kohli | 68 | 40 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 70.17 |
| Rohit Sharma | 16 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 62.5 |
Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma: Who has a better captaincy record in ODIs?
As for ODIs, both the captains are closely placed on the numbers, with Rohit edging past Kohli in the 50-over cricket. With a win percentage of over 77%, Rohit led the team to victory on 34 occasions. However, Kohli isn't far behind (70%) -- what's impressive is his 65 wins as captain.
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| Player | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | No Result | Win% |
| Virat Kohli | 95 | 65 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 70.43 |
| Rohit Sharma | 45 | 34 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77.27 |
Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma: Who has a better captaincy record in T20Is?
T20I cricket is where Rohit shines again, thanks to the recent no-lose record in the T20 World Cup 2024 (8 wins and 1 no result). With a win percentage of an incredible over 78%, he has led the team to glory on 48 occasions.
| Player | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | No Result | Win% |
| Virat Kohli | 50 | 30 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 64.58 |
| Rohit Sharma | 61 | 48 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 78.69 |
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have left their mark on Indian cricket as leaders. While Kohli's dominance lies in Test cricket, Rohit has recently established himself as a force in white-ball formats.
Ultimately, the "better" captain depends on the format being played and the specific needs of the team at that time. Both captains have brought success to India, and their legacies will continue to be remembered in the years to come.