Indian cricket team has been one of the top sides in ODI cricket and has been led by the like of Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, etc. In fact, 24 players have captained India in One Day International. But there are a few players who captained the Indian cricket team just for one game. And for this very reason, they aren’t remembered much. In this article, we will talk about the players who captained just one game in ODI history.
The Indian cricket team has consistently been one of the best sides in ODI cricket, thanks to the efforts of several of our honourable captains, including Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli. In fact, India has had 24 players to captain in One Day Internationals. However, a few players have only captained the Indian cricket team for a single match. Unfortunately, they are largely forgotten. In this article, we’ll look at a few of these players who have only captained one ODI match.
1. Gundappa Viswanath
Gundappa Viswanath was regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in India. He was recognized for his dexterity with the wrists and his ability to adapt to pacers and spinners. Viswanath made his first-class debut for Karnataka in 1967 and scored an incredible double century. After that, he became the first cricketer to score a century in his debut International test match. In 91 Test matches, he scored 6080 runs, including 14 centuries, and a fascinating thing to note is that India has never lost a test when Vishwanath has scored a century. For his invaluable contribution to Indian cricket, he was awarded the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award in 2009. In addition, he has captained India in a single one-day international match, but unfortunately, the team lost.
2. Syed Kirmani
Syed Kirmani is another player who captained the Indian cricket team for just one game. He represented India in cricket as a wicket-keeper batsman. Kirmani scored 9620 runs in 275 first-class matches, including 13 centuries and 38 half-centuries. He was a ten-year veteran of the Indian cricket team, as well as a member of the legendary 1983 World Cup-winning squad. He was awarded the Wicket-keeper of the tournament award for his brilliant work behind the stumps. He also holds the record for most dismissals by an Indian Wicket-keeper in a single inning of a Test Match, when he took five catches and effected one stumping against New Zealand in 1976. In 1983, Syed Kirmani was appointed captain of the Indian cricket team for ODI. Sadly, his captaincy wasn’t enough to lead India to victory in their first match under his leadership.
3. Mohinder Amarnath
Another player who did not get another chance to captain the Indian cricket team in ODI matches is Mohinder Amarnath. Amarnath was renowned for his toughness on the pitch. He was a determined cricketer who gained appreciation from several cricketing legends for this extravagant nature. He was instrumental in India’s World Cup victory in 1983, winning Player of the Match in the semi-final as well as the final against West Indies for his outstanding all-round performance. He eventually went on to win the Player of the tournament too for his incredible contribution to the Indian team. Mohinder Amarnath took 32 wickets and scored 4,378 runs in 69 tests with 11 hundreds and 24 fifties to his name. He scored 1,924 runs and took 46 wickets in 85 One Day Internationals. In 1984, he captained India for the first time in an ODI match. The game ended in a draw at the end.
4. Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble who is regarded as one of the best leg spinners of all time is one of the few players to captain India for just one ODI. His Indian teammates gave him the nickname “Jumbo.” In international cricket, Kumble has 956 wickets to his credit, making him a legend. As he rolled over Pakistan’s batting line-up with 10 wickets in an innings, he became the second bowler after Jim Laker to take 10 wickets in an innings. Kumble ended with figures of 10/74. He also served as a head coach for the Indian cricket team before being replaced by Ravi Shastri. He was given the captaincy in ODI cricket back in 2001 due to his experience, but it didn’t last long enough, and he retired in 2008. Nonetheless, India were victorious in that match.
