India vs New Zealand WTC Final: Virat Kohli goes past MS Dhoni to lead India for record 61st time

SOUTHAMPTON: As Virat Kohli walked out for toss with New Zealand's Kane Williamson at the Ageas Bowl in the World Test Championship final, he surpassed MS Dhoni's record of leading the Indian team in most Test matches.

World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand is the 61st match for Kohli as India's captain in the longest format of the game, now a record. Dhoni retired from Test cricket in December 2014 after captaining India in 60 matches.

Kohli is also the longest-serving Test captain for any Asian country with Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga and Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq behind him as they captained their respective teams in 56 Test matches each.

South Africa's great Graeme Smith is the longest-serving captain in the history of Test cricket as he captained Proteas in a record 109 matches. He is the only player to have played more than 100 Tests as captain and Australia's Allan Border is second with 93 Tests.

Earlier, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to field first in the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final against India on Saturday. Incessant rain saw the opening day's play being washed off.

During the toss, India skipper Virat Kohli said, "We would've probably bowled first as well. But runs on the board has been our strength. In a big final, runs on the board, however many, are an advantage. As you saw the makeup of our side, the balance is such that we prepare for any conditions. We've been performing really well in Test cricket. For us this is just a Test match we have to be professional in, have to follow our processes."