It is winner takes all in the series decider, and India put themselves in after winning the toss for the third straight time. However, in overcast conditions in Cape Town, South Africa's quicks thrived as the tourists were bowled out for 223.
Making his 50th Test appearance, Rabada (4-73) led their attack brilliantly, dismissing Mayank Agarwal (15), Ajinkya Rahane (9) and Jasprit Bumrah (0) before he finally came out on top in his battle with India's captain.
Playing his 99th Test, Kohli was the only India batsman to score above 50 as he showed his class with a patiently crafted 79, with support from Cheteshwar Pujara (43) and Rishabh Pant (27), both of whom fell to Marco Jansen, who finished with 3-55.
Kohli changed tack after Pant's dismissal, getting on the front foot to propel India over 200, though Rabada got his man when India's skipper – who had survived a South Africa review earlier in the innings – pushed at a ball outside off stump.
Lungi Ngidi got a deserved wicket to finish off India's innings, giving the hosts chance to take to the crease in the final session, with the cloud cover having made way for sunshine.
Proteas captain Deal Elgar was drawn into an edge by Jasprit Bumrah (1-0), giving India a boost, but Keshav Maharaj (6) and Aiden Markram (8) guided South Africa to 17-1 at stumps.
Restrained Kohli goes up against rampant Rabada
Kohli came out in the 13th over with his side at 33-2, and provided just the tonic to South Africa's rapid start, leaving 65 of the first 100 deliveries that were outside his off stump.
Over the last five years of Test matches, just four batters have shown more restraint and patience, while his contest with Rabada was fascinating, particularly between the 47th and 49th overs, when Kohli was beaten twice and edged just short of second slip.
Rabada came up with the goods in a final session that saw six India wickets fall, though Kohli's stand could just have kept India in this Test after a dreadful start. It is just a shame no fans could be at Newlands to witness it.
Brilliant Bumrah hits back
South Africa had to face eight overs in the final half-hour of play, and four of those came from the quite sensational Bumrah, who bowled 23 dot balls and took the wicket of Elgar to boot.
The 33-year-old took over as skipper in the longest format following MS Dhoni's retirement in 2014 and has gone on to lead his country 68 times in the longest format.
Kohli called time on his reign as Twenty20 captain following the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates late last year, with Rohit Sharma taking that role before also replacing his fellow batter as ODI skipper.
India failed to secure a first Test series win over South Africa after they lost the decider at Newlands by seven wickets on Friday and Kohli has confirmed that will be his last match as captain.
Kohli posted on Twitter: "It has been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance everyday to take the team in the right direction.
"I've done the job with absolute honesty and left nothing out there. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it's now,
"There have been many ups and also some downs along the journey, but never has there been a lack of effort or lack of belief.
"I have always believed in giving my 120 per cent in everything I do, and if I can't do that, I know it's not the right thing to do. I have absolute clarity in my heart and I cannot be dishonest to my team.
"I want to thank the BCCI for giving me the opportunity to lead my country for such a long period of time and more importantly to all the team-mates who bought into the vision I had for the team from day one and never gave up in any situation.
"You guys have made this journey so memorable and beautiful. To Ravi [former India head coach Shastri] Bhai and the support group who were the engine behind this vehicle that moved us upwards in Test Cricket consistently, you all have played a massive role in bringing this vision to life.
"Lastly, a big thank you to MS Dhoni who believed in me as a captain and found me to be an able individual who could take Indian cricket forward."
Kohli is India's most successful Test captain, having led his country to 40 victories.
KL Rahul will be in line to step up and succeed one of India's greatest ever players, having recently been appointed as vice-captain in place of Ajinkya Rahane.
Kohli gave no indication he would quit after the loss to the Proteas in Cape Town, warning India "must come back as better cricketers” and improve with the bat.
Rohit Sharma's 60 and Jasprit Bumrah's brilliant bowling condemned the Black Caps to a seven-run loss at Bay Oval and a sobering 5-0 series defeat, which included two Super Over failures and a string of batting collapses.
New Zealand have now lost eight successive games across all formats, inviting more questions for Williamson after he said he was "open" to a change in leadership following the underwhelming Test tour of Australia.
The 29-year-old, still resting his injured shoulder, was seen speaking with Kohli along the Bay Oval boundary as both batsmen skipped the dead rubber.
The discussion seemed to have a profound effect on the India star, who gave his counterpart a resounding vote of confidence.
"We get along well, we've known each other for a while," Kohli told Sky Sport NZ.
"It's amazing to know that in different parts of the world you're thinking the same things, you're talking the same language and you're headed in the right direction.
"Although the scoreline looks very different for New Zealand, I truly believe New Zealand cricket is in the best hands with Kane and he is the right guy to lead this team and lay out that vision for them, which he has in the past as well.
"Results can't always determine your leadership, but he is the right man and I truly believe that, because I spoke to him today and the way he thinks about life and the game - he's just the perfect, perfect man to lead the side.
"I wish them all the luck and all the power to come back stronger. They're a side everyone loves to watch and play against as well. We just had a very nice conversation and [it's] something that I'll remember."
Tim Southee, New Zealand skipper in Williamson's absence, felt the 5-0 series hammering was unfair on the Black Caps.
"I don't think it's a massive gap," Southee said. "I know the series scoreline suggests that, but I think with the games being reasonably close it's just about doing those small things a little bit better."
The teams have two days to rest before meeting in the first of three ODIs at Seddon Park on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old was named at the top of the Indian order in a T20 international for just the second time since 2018 ahead of Saturday's series decider against England.
That decision paid off handsomely as Kohli struck an unbeaten 80 off 52 balls to help his country to a huge total of 224 and, ultimately, a 36-run victory that clinched a 3-2 series win.
And the captain explained after the match that he is planning to continue in an opening role for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL next month, with one eye on doing the same for India when they host the T20 World Cup in October.
"I am going to open in the IPL as well," he told Star Sports.
"Look, I've batted at different positions in the past, but I feel like we do have a very solid middle order now, and now it's about your two best players getting the maximum number of balls in T20 cricket. So I would definitely like to partner Rohit at the top.
"As I rightly said, if we have a partnership and we both are set, then you know that one of us is going to cause some serious damage. That's exactly what we want.
"And the other guys feel much more confident when one of us is still in and set, they know that they can play more freely.
"It augurs well for the team and I would like this to continue, and hopefully continue that form through to the World Cup."
Kohli also revealed that India's preparations for the T20 World Cup will be aided by a number of short-form games against England to be played after their scheduled Test series in August and September.
He added: "I just found out that we might have some more after the Test series against England.
"[We are] more or less sorted [in terms of who will make the squad]. We are very very confident. Very happy with how things have panned out. We just want to keep moving forward with more positivity and fearlessness."
Batting star Kohli said he needed to cut down his workload to be at his most effective in future, as he heads towards his mid-thirties.
The highest scorer in international T20 cricket, Kohli said he would continue to play for the team but would hand over leadership responsibilities.
He will remain captain of the Test and ODI teams, and will hope to go out on a high note as skipper in the shortest format.
The Super 12 stage of the World Cup, which is where India begin their campaign, begins for Kohli's team with an October 24 clash against Pakistan in Dubai.
Kohli wrote in a note posted to social media on Thursday: "I have been fortunate enough to not only represent India but also lead the Indian cricket teams to my utmost capability.
"Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for the last 5-6 years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead the Indian team in Test and ODI cricket.
"I have given everything to the team during my time at T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward.
"Of course, arriving at this decision took a lot of time. After a lot of contemplation and discussions with my close people, Ravi bhai [Ravi Shastri] and also Rohit [Sharma], who have been an essential part of the leadership group, I've decided to step down as the T20 captain after this T20 World Cup in Dubai in October.
"I have also spoken to the secretary Mr Jay Shah and the president of BCCI Mr Sourav Ganguly along with all the selectors about the same. I will continue to serve Indian cricket and the Indian team to the best of my ability."
Kohli has been captain of India in all formats since 2017, having taken over the limited-overs responsibilities from MS Dhoni.
After a coronavirus-enforced suspension, the IPL restarted on Sunday, with Chennai Super Kings taking on Mumbai Indians in the United Arab Emirates.
However, ahead of Bangalore's clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, Kohli confirmed he will soon be bringing his time as captain to an end.
Kohli's announcement comes just three days after he confirmed he will step down as India's T20I captain after the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The highest scorer in T20Is, Kohli revealed the news in a video shared to RCB's official Twitter account.
"To the whole RCB family, the fans, the amazing fans of Bangalore and to everyone who has been a supporter of RCB for so many years, I have an announcement to make," he said.
"Before the second leg of the tournament starts, to inform everyone that this is going to be my last leg in the IPL as captain of RCB.
"I've spoken to the management, it's something that has been on my mind for a while, as I recently announced stepping down from T20 captaincy as well to manage my workload, which has been immense over the past few years.
"I want to continue to be committed to the responsibilities fully, and I felt I needed the space to refresh, regroup and be absolutely clear in how I want to move forward."
However, Kohli – who was signed by RCB in 2008 and was made captain in 2013 – insisted he has no plans to cut his time with the franchise short, despite his step back from leadership duties.
"Also understanding that RCB is going to go through a transitional phase, with a big auction coming next year, I made it clear to the management that I can't think of me being at any other team than RCB," Kohli continued.
"That has been my commitment since day one. I will continue to be an RCB player until my last game in the IPL.
"It's been a great journey of joy, frustration, moments of happiness and sadness, and I just want to thank all of you for believing in me and supporting me, relentlessly and unconditionally.
"I will continue to be committed to playing for this franchise until the last day of IPL, for you guys, the fans, because of what you have done for me and made me feel over the past so many years. It has meant so much.
"So, thank you so much; this is just a little halt, it is not the end of the journey, the journey will continue and it will continue the same way that it has for so many years."
Kohli accumulated 198 runs across the first seven games of the 2021 IPL season. In total, he has played 199 matches in the competition, averaging 37.97 with a high score of 113.
The Proteas completed their fightback in Cape Town early in the afternoon session on day four, chasing down a target of 212 to wrap up a seven-wicket victory.
Keegan Petersen was named man of the match and player of the series after making a classy 82 before he chopped on to a delivery from Shardul Thakur on the penultimate day, having been dropped by Cheteshwar Pujara on 59.
That was the only wicket to fall on Friday, with Rassie van der Dussen (41 not out) and Temba Bavuma (32no) seeing Dean Elgar's side home.
India had taken a 1-0 lead at SuperSport Park, but they were unable to celebrate a first Test series triumph in South Africa.
Captain Kohli doffed his cap to the Proteas and warned India will be in for more disappointment unless they improve with the bat.
"It's a great spectacle of Tests for everyone to watch; hard-fought series. Great first game, but South Africa did amazingly well. In both Tests they won, they were clinical with the ball in crunch moments," said Kohli.
"Lapses of concentration cost us key moments and they seized those moments; absolutely deserving winners in the end.
"One of the challenges we've faced touring abroad is make sure capitalising on momentum, when we've done that we've won Tests away from home. When we haven't, they've cost us quite bad.
"We've had a few collapses that have cost us in important moments and Test matches. It's batting; can't pinpoint any other aspect. People talk about pace and bounce, considering their heights, they were able to get much more off the wickets in all three Tests.
"They applied pressure long enough for us to make mistakes. It's the understanding of conditions for them which they know very well. The batting has to be looked into, no running away from that.
"Having collapses every now and then is not a good thing. Obviously very disappointed, we know how far we've come as a team. That people expect us to beat South Africa in South Africa is testimony to how far we've come.
"We haven't done it, that's the reality, accept it and come back as better cricketers. We've got to credit the opposition where due."
Kohli confirmed before the T20 World Cup that he would leave his role as India skipper in the shortest format, though he does intend to carry on playing in the team.
The 33-year-old also believed he would continue as ODI and Test captain. However, he is now only the skipper for red ball matches, with Rohit Sharma leading the side in limited overs games.
Rohit, however, will not skipper India's white ball side in South Africa, with the batsman missing out due to a hamstring injury, with KL Rahul instead named as captain for the three-match ODI series.
Rahul has never led India before in any format, though he will at least be able to call on the experience of Kohli, who has been included in the 18-man squad and led India to victory in the first Test this week.
While announcing the squad at a news conference on Friday, Chetan was asked if Kohli's claims that he had not been asked to reconsider his decision were true, with those comments having contradicted BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's previous claim.
"When the meeting started, it was a surprise for everybody," Chetan said.
"Because the World Cup is upon you and you hear this news, what will be the reaction of a normal person?
"Everyone who was present in the meeting asked him to reconsider, to rethink; 'We can talk about this after the World Cup'. All the selectors felt this could affect the performance in the World Cup.
"It was told to Virat for the sake of Indian cricket to please continue as captain. It was told to him by everybody available in the meeting. Everybody said that.
"Who will not say that when you hear such news? You will be in shock. What will be your instant reaction? It was a matter of the World Cup.
"We thought let's talk after the World Cup. We told Virat the World Cup is upon us, and everybody requested let's talk after the World Cup.
"But he has his plans. We have to respect his decision. If someone has taken a decision, and he said in the media also, that he was thinking [along these lines] from the time of WTC, but at that time everybody told him to think about it."
Jasprit Bumrah will act as vice captain against the Proteas, while R Ashwin earned a recall for the first time since 2017 and Venkatesh Iyer received his maiden ODI call up.
The ODIs take place on January 19, 21 and 23.
India's squad in full: KL Rahul (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj.
Just hours after securing a thrilling 2-1 win over Australia, India confirmed the selection for the start of their next four-Test series, which is due to begin on February 5 in Chennai.
Kohli had to return home from the Australia tour in December due to the birth of his first child but will be back to lead the team against England.
Also returning is Ishant, who was ruled out before the trip to Australia despite recovering from a side strain that troubled him towards the end of the Indian Premier League season.
Ishant is just three appearances away from playing 100 Tests for India.
Like Kohli, Hardik was also initially in the travelling party in Australia but flew home after the limited-overs leg of the tour.
His inclusion in the squad comes less than a week after the death of his father.
Along with the regular squad, selectors have also named Srikar Bharat, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shahbaz Nadeem, Rahul Chahar and Priyank Panchal on a standby list.
India: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur.
The hosts won the toss and decided to bowl first at the Queen’s Park Oval.
Based on proceedings on day one, that seemed like the wrong choice as India started the day with a 139-run opening partnership between first Test centurions Jaiswal and Sharma.
Jaiswal, who hit a magnificent 171 on debut in Dominica, made a 74-ball 57 while Sharma, India’s Captain who hit 103 in the last Test, fell for 80 off 143 balls with the score on 155 in the 39th over.
Jaiswal’s knock included nine fours and a six while Sharma hit nine fours and two sixes.
Shubman Gill (10) and Ajinkya Rahane (8) were the other Indian batsmen to fall before the end of play.
Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will be at the crease when play continues tomorrow.
Kohli, who hit 76 in the first Test, will resume on 87* searching for his 29th Test hundred while Jadeja will resume on 36*. Kohli has, so far, faced 161 balls and hit eight fours.
Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Jomel Warrican and Jason Holder have each taken a wicket for the West Indies.
The tourists secured a first win at SuperSport Park in the longest format at the third attempt, defeating the Proteas by 113 runs on the final day.
South Africa were all out for 191 just after lunch, Jasprit Bumrah taking 3-50 and Mohammed Shami 3-63 after claiming a five-wicket haul in the first innings.
Mohammed Siraj (2-47) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2-18) also struck as India put themselves on course to celebrate a first Test series triumph in South Africa.
India captain Kohli paid tribute to KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who laid the foundations with first-innings knocks of 123 and 60, before praising his bowling attack for finishing off the job.
He said during the post-match presentation: "We got off to the perfect start. Getting the result in four days shows how well we played. It's always a difficult place, South Africa, but we were clinical with bat, ball and in the field.
"A lot of credit goes to Mayank and KL, and we were in pole position at 270 for 3 after day one. We had a lot of belief in our bowling unit to get the job done."
During the match, Shami went past 200 Test wickets for his career, while Bumrah went from bowling the fewest overs in the first innings to the most in the second.
"The way these guys bowl together, it's just a hallmark of our team getting a result from that position," Kohli said.
"Shami is an absolutely world-class bowler, among the top three seam bowlers in the world for me. I'm very, very happy for him to get 200 wickets and have an impactful performance."
A battling 77 from home captain Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma's tenacious unbeaten 35 failed to prevent India from drawing first blood.
South Africa failed to make 200 in either innings and Elgar says they must improve with the bat.
He said: "It was always going to be a bit tough. We could have executed our lengths better on day one, but we fought back after lunch, but then we let it slip a little bit after tea.
"Our bowlers were brilliant after that [on day three]. It was great to restrict India. But with bat in hand, we let ourselves down quite a lot. I say the difference was the batting.
"I think we can have a little sit down and strategise going forward. I don't think we did a lot wrong."
From 53-3 at the start of play on day four, England subsided to 164 all out at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai as the hosts secured a series-levelling victory.
With two matches still to play, Kohli warned the tourists could still pose a big threat to India, but he felt the success over Joe Root's side inside four days indicated his team were finding a healthy tempo.
"It was a bit strange in the first game to be honest, playing at home without crowds in the stands. Things were flat in the first couple of days, and myself included, we just didn't pick up the energy in the field," Kohli said.
"But I think from the second innings onward in the first game we picked up our game and were on the money with our body language and what we wanted to do on the field, but this game I think the crowd makes a massive difference."
That first game had been played behind closed doors, but fans returned for the second Test, seeing India make 329 and 286 while twice skittling England.
"This game was an example of that grit and determination that we've shown as a side and we continue to do that," Kohli said.
"I think our application with the bat was outstanding in this game. The conditions were challenging for both sides, but we showed more application and grit and determination to battle it out.
"We didn't panic out there, looking at the amount of turn and bounce on that pitch. We trusted our defence and we got into the game and we scored 600 runs in two innings combined. If you put up that kind of a batting performance and you're stringing those important partnerships [together] then we know our bowlers are going to do the job in home conditions. It was a perfect game for us."
Axar took 5-60 in the second innings, with Ravichandran Ashwin (3-53) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-25) also doing the business to ensure all 10 England wickets fell to spin.
Kohli had planned to play Axar in the first Test only for a niggle to keep him out, but there was no holding him back in this game.
"He was very keen to step onto the field," Kohli said. "And as a left-arm spinner where you get that kind of a pitch which is turning square and he bowls very fast, he is all smiles and couldn't wait to get the ball in his hand. I'm very, very happy and hope he builds it up from here on."
Ashwin took man-of-the-match honours after taking eight wickets in the game and making a second-innings century.
Kohli said Ashwin had batted "outstandingly well".
The teams move on to Ahmedabad for the third and fourth matches in the series, and Kohli said: "It's going to be challenging. This England side has quality, they're a quality bunch of players and we expect no easy cricket from them. We need to be on our A game relentlessly."
Ashwin was named man of the series in a 3-1 Test series victory over England that sealed India's place in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand.
The off-spinning all-rounder took 32 wickets and averaged 31.50 with the bat, scoring a magnificent century on his home ground in Chennai.
Ashwin has not played for his country in the shortest format since July 2017 and it appears that is not about to change with a Twenty20 World Cup to come on home soil this year, as India have full faith in Washington Sundar.
India captain Kohli said ahead of the first T20 on Friday: "Washington has been doing really well for us, so you can't have two players of the same discipline playing in one squad.
"Unless Washi has a drastically horrible season and things go south for him. The question has to be asked with some kind of logic as well.
"You suggest where you would add Ash and play him in the team when someone like Washington already does that job for the team. So, it's easy to ask the question but you should have a logical explanation to it yourself."
Kohli vowed his side would take a positive approach from the start when they face a top-ranked England team, with all matches in the series being played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The skipper said: "The kind of players we have added into the squad is precisely to give our batting line-up more depth and not play in a similar kind of pattern that we have played with in the past.
"We want to be a side that plays free cricket, not have any baggage of lack of depth and one guy having to bat long enough to make sure we get to a big total.
"We have explosive batsmen in the team now, who can change the game at any stage even if you are two or three wickets down. That's exactly what we've tried to address in picking this squad.
"So this time around, you will see guys a bit more expressive in terms of approaching the innings, and playing more freely.
"I'm not worried about whether we have enough batsmen to take care of things if we lose a couple of wickets early, which was the case before to be honest. We didn't have enough depth in the batting to be able to play freely throughout the first 10 or 12 overs. But I see us being much more positive and free from this period onwards."
Depleted India defied the odds to come from behind and secure a 2-1 series win in Australia despite being without a host of key players, including captain Virat Kohli.
Kohli returns from paternity leave to lead the side after Ajinkya Rahane filled in superbly in his absence, while Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin have recovered from injuries but Ravindra Jadeja (broken thumb) misses out.
India are in pole position to seal their place in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, but England and Australia can also qualify.
In-form skipper Root will become the 15th England player to win a century of Test caps when the four-match series starts at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Rory Burns return, while Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood and Sam Curran have been given a rest following the recent 2-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka.
The tourists could be without Zak Crawley after the batsman injured his right wrist when slipping outside the changing room, but Ollie Pope is poised to make his comeback from a shoulder injury.
England have won just one Test series in India since 1984-85, losing four and drawing one since then other than a triumph in 2012.
What are the Test Championship permutations?
The postponement of the series between South Africa and Australia ensured the Black Caps will play in the first Test Championship final.
Kane Williamson's side will face India at Lord's if they beat England 2-0, 2-1, 3-0, 3-1 or 4-0.
England must win at least three matches in India to set up another final against New Zealand, so Root's men are very much outsiders.
Australia will qualify if England win the series without winning three matches, while they will also take on their trans-Tasman rivals if the series is drawn or India come out on top 1-0.
Centurion Root leading by example
Root failed to make a hundred for England last year, but the prolific captain showed class is permanent in Sri Lanka.
The 30-year-old made a magnificent 228 in his first innings of the series and struck a brilliant 186 in the second Test, making a strong statement at the start of a hectic year for England.
Root averaged 106.50 as he delivered a masterclass of how to bat against spin and will be relishing the battle with the India attack.
He is just one win away from matching Michael Vaughan's record of 26 Test wins as England skipper and achieving that feat in the Yorkshireman's 100th match would be extra special.
KEY MATCH FACTS
- Four of the last five Test series between the two sides have been won by England, who eased to a 4-1 victory when they last did battle in 2018.
- India have won their last 10 multi-game bilateral Test series on home soil, that run beginning after they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of England in 2012.
- India have recorded five wins to England's three when facing off against each other at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. India have won three in a row at the Chennai venue.
- No touring side has won at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium during the 21st century (D3 L5) – Pakistan being the last team to do so in the format (1999).
- England are on a run five away Test wins in succession – their longest such run since 1914 (seven in a row between 1911 and 1914).
Kohli contributed just 19 runs in the two innings of his Test bow in a victory against West Indies at Sabina Park, twice snared caught behind by Fidel Edwards.
The elegant batsman soon shed the 'one-day specialist' tag, though, and has since established himself as one of the best players in the world in all formats.
We look at Kohli's exploits in the longest format with data supplied by Opta.
Almost on a par with Tendulkar
The great Sachin Tendulkar is comfortably the highest Test run-scorer of all time with 15,921 and Kohli will not be threatening his record.
However, Kohli could soon be bettering his legendary compatriot's average of 53.78.
The India skipper averages 53.62, scoring 7,240 runs from his 145 knocks, with Tendulkar having recorded his incredible average from a mammoth 329 innings.
Leading by example
Taking on captaincy duties has proved to be a burden for some players of the years, but that is definitely not the case with Kohli.
Quite the opposite, in fact, as the 31-year-old has thrived since taking on the extra responsibility of leading his country,
Kohli, skipper in all formats, has the record for most runs as India captain and there will no doubt be plenty more to come.
He has averaged 61.2 from 90 Test knocks as captain compared to 41.1 in 55 innings before taking on the duties.
A double no trouble
Only three batsmen have scored more Test double centuries than India's superstar middle-order craftsman.
Kohli has seven to his name and achieved two in as many matches in a series against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Don Bradman (12), Kumar Sangakkara (11) and Brian Lara (9) are the only players to have scored more Test double-hundreds.
Cemented among 'the big three'
Some rate Kohli as the best Test batsman in the world, but the rankings show Australia run machine Steve Smith has that mantle.
Kohli can boast a higher career-best score than Smith and New Zealand's run-machine captain Kane Williamson, with an unbeaten 254 against South Africa last year.
He also has the most centuries with 27, but Smith has just one fewer and has played 13 fewer Tests.
A joy to watch when at his majestic best, Kohli also has a better strike rate than Smith (55.3) and Williamson (51.6) with 57.7 runs per 100 balls.
Home comforts
Kohli has treated packed crowds in his homeland to many memorable masterclasses over the years.
His record in India is phenomenal, with an average of 68.4 in 60 Test innings.
That is the best by any batsman in the country to have made at least 30 trips to the crease.
The tourists twice looked to have taken control of the contest – initially when India squandered the platform laid by Shikhar Dhawan (98) and stumbled to 202-5, before Jonny Bairstow (94) and Jason Roy (46) tore after the eventual target of 317-5 with a 135-run opening stand inside 15 overs.
But Krunal clattered an unbeaten 58 form 31 deliveries, featuring seven fours and two sixes, as he and KL Rahul climbed into some sub-par death bowling from England.
In a curtailed mid-innings interview following his knock, Krunal broke down in tears as he dedicated his format debut to his father, who passed away in January.
Having seen his left-arm spin disappear under Roy and Bairstow's early assault, Krunal returned to claim the important wicket of Sam Curran (12) as England subsided meekly – seamers Prasidh Krishna (4-54), Bhuveneshwar Kumar (2-30) and Shardul Thakur (3-37) doing the bulk of the damage to dismiss Eoin Morgan's side for 251 in 42.1 overs.
Not even in the squad for the start of the series, Kuhnemann bowled a five-for on a poor pitch as India's first innings in Indore amounted to just 109 in 33.2 overs.
Marnus Labuschagne (31) and Usman Khawaja (60) then steered Australia into a comfortable position with a 96-run stand, as India's flagrant use of the DRS caused issues for the hosts.
While Ravindra Jadeja bowled Labuschagne to end that pairing, the tourists remained strong to finish the day 156-4 and hold a 47-run lead.
Australia came out of the blocks flying to take five wickets in the first hour, and seven in the first session.
Kuhnemann (5-16) and Nathan Lyon (3-35) had three wickets each, while Todd Murphy (1-23) trapped Virat Kohli lbw (22) to leave India 84-7 at lunch, before the hosts finished all out for 109 in just over a session.
India's response with the ball started well, Jadeja (4-64) taking Travis Head (9) lbw with just 12 runs on the board, and then bowled Labuschagne off a no ball – a mistake that proved costly.
Poor decision-making on DRS also contributed to the hosts' downfall, losing two reviews and opting not to challenge the umpire's call for an lbw on Labuschagne, which replays showed would have been out.
Australia welcomed those errors, Khawaja hitting a half century before being caught by Shubman Gill to put the tourists well on their way to fighting back in the series.
Kuhnemann's fine day
In just his second Test, Kuhnemann oversaw the undoing of India to finish with figures of 5-16.
Australia's charge saw six wickets tumble in just 22 overs, the most India have lost in the first innings of a match in this format since the beginning of 2007.
Jadeja's record
On a disappointing day for India, there was at least some comfort with the performance of Jadeja, who took all four of Australia's wickets.
He became just the second Indian player – and 11th cricketer overall – to take 500 wickets and score over 5,000 runs in the international game.
The tourists put on 111 for the last three wickets to post 404 all out in Chattogram and Bangladesh were in trouble on 133-8 at stumps in reply after losing six wickets in the final session on Thursday, trailing by 271 runs.
India were 293-7 when Shreyas Iyer was bowled by Ebadot Hossain for 86, but Ravichandran Ashwin made 58 and Kuldeep 40 to get them up to an imposing total.
Taijul Islam (4-133) and Mehidy Hasan (4-112) took four wickets apiece For the Tigers, with Iyer dropped three times and getting another life on day one when an Ebadot delivery struck his off stump, but the bails stayed on.
Siraj had Najmul Hossain Shanto caught behind with the first ball of Bangladesh's innings and Umesh Yadav got in on the act by bowling Yasir Ali, reducing Bangladesh to 5-2.
The wickets continued to tumble as Kuldeep and Siraj tore through the Tigers, with Zakir Hasan, Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim getting starts but falling to go on.
Kuldeep took 4-33 and Siraj was superb with the new ball, claiming 3-14 as India took command. Mehidy and Ebadot prevented further damage being done by combining for an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 31.
Kuldeep delivers late birthday presents
Tweaker Kuldeep celebrated his 28th birthday on Wednesday and celebrated a day later by making an impact with bat and ball.
Playing his first Test since February 2021, he struck four boundaries in a 114-ball knock, proving excellent support for Ashwin in an eighth-wicket stand of 92.
Kuldeep was also on the money with ball in hand, captain Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur among his victims.
Siraj the spearhead
The Bangladesh batters had no answer to seamer Siraj, who set the tone by striking with his first delivery.
He also had Zakir Hasan caught behind by Rishabh Pant and got one to nip in and clean up Das.
The fast bowler took eight wickets as the tourists sealed the first Test in Chittagong in style and was expected to keep his place for the second and final game in Mirpur.
But Kuldeep was excluded to make way for an additional pace option in Jaydev Unadkat, who played his first red-ball match for India in over a decade in his place.
The call from coach Rahul Dravid caught many by surprise, but Umesh was unmoved in his post-stumps assessment, simply indicating his omission was nothing out of the ordinary.
"It's part of your journey," he said. "It happened to me. Sometimes you are out of the team because of performance.
"Sometimes it's a management call. You have to go with the team's requirements. It's good for him."
Unadkat, playing in his second Test match a dozen years after he debuted as a teenager at Centurion against South Africa, repaid the faith with two wickets, including that of first-Test centurion Zakir Hasan.
Umesh was delighted to see him earn a second chance, adding: "When he made his debut, I was with him in South Africa. I'm very happy that he finally got his chance.
"When he came in to bowl with the new ball, [it] was doing a bit. We know [he] can swing it both ways, so he just had to keep bowling in the right areas."
India will resume on day two in Mirpur trailing by 208 runs.
India posted 164-5 after they were asked to bat first in Colombo, with skipper Shikhar Dhawan's 46 and a 34-ball 50 from Suryakumar Yadav providing the bulk of the runs.
Dushmantha Chameera (2-24) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2-28) did the damage for Sri Lanka, but the majority of the home side's batsmen failed to fire after the interval.
Avishka Fernando (26) and Charith Asalanka (44) briefly gave Sri Lanka some hope, but Kumar (4-22) and Deepak Chahar (2-24) got the job done as the hosts were bowled out for 126 with nine balls to spare.
Sri Lanka were outclassed in their recent T20I series in England, which ended in a 3-0 loss, but even on home soil Mickey Arthur's side lack the batting firepower and they have now won just once in their previous 14 completed fixtures.
The second and third Twenty20 internationals in Colombo, both also at the R. Premadasa Stadium, take place on Tuesday and Thursday as both sides continue their preparations for the T20 World Cup later this year.
Kumar closes in on milestone
India seamer Kumar was cool during the business end of the match as he took three of the final four wickets to fall. He needs just one wicket to reach 50 in T20I action for India and become the fourth player to achieve this feat for the country.
Shanaka must deliver more
Sri Lanka lost their final six wickets for less than 15 runs and needed more from T20 captain Dasun Shanaka, who made a tame 14-ball 16. Shanaka is normally an aggressive middle-order batsman but his modest innings included just one four before he was stumped off the bowling of debutant Varun Chakravarthy.
