Virat Kohli’s Test record vs South Africa no Indian captain can match
Virat Kohli remains the only Indian captain to win multiple Test series vs South Africa. Discover his record-breaking innings and unmatched victories.
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India is all set to welcome South Africa for a two-Test match series from November 14 to 26. It will be the Proteas' first tour of India after 2019 and the eighth overall. Indian cricket under Shubman Gill's captaincy is looking to continue its dominance at home and at the same time, the South African team is determined to win their first series in India after 25 years.
The Test matches between India and South Africa have always been exciting due to the great performances. The 1996 historic moment was very important when Sachin Tendulkar not only played but also captained and led Indians to their first-ever triumph over the visitors. After that, India has won four Test series vs. South Africa, but all of them were on Indian soil only.
On the contrary, Virat Kohli is the only captain in the Indian cricket history who has been able to make a series of victories against South Africa in the strongest way. Kohli is the sole Indian captain who achieved a 3-0 win of a Test series against South Africa, during the 2019 home series. The Indian team showed its supremacy so well that Kohli scored 254 not out, which until 2025, was the highest score by an Indian captain in Test cricket. Meanwhile, that series also saw the birth of Rohit Sharma as an opener; he made 176 and 127 runs during the Tests.
Kohli's captaincy of India against South Africa has not been just restricted to one series. He was responsible for almost completely knocking out India during the 2015 tour when South Africa came to India again winning 3 out of 4 matches, with the second Test ending in a draw due to rain. Key performances included Ajinkya Rahane’s two centuries in the fourth Test along with excellent bowling from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Kohli has won eight Test matches against South Africa during his captaincy - six in India and two in Africa. Other Indian skippers like Rahul Dravid and even earlier such as Sourav Ganguly have been able to post victories against South Africa, however no one has come near to Kohli's consistency and his record of multiple series win over the Proteas.
Kohli's supremacy is something that has never occurred in Indian cricket history before. Tending to stay in the background during the series wins of Tendulkar and Ganguly, Kohli has already got a 3-0 whitewash and repeatedly led India to series victories over South Africa. This record stays intact just as India is the new challenge of not losing at home under Shubman Gill.
The series coming up will be attention grabbers not solely because of their on-field fights but also the comparisons with Kohli’s legacy. Indian supporters will not be able to wait to witness whether the current team will manage to repeat past triumphs whilst the Proteas will aim to achieve nothing less than success after long years of defeats in India.
