The Captain of the Indian Cricket team is a prestigious position that comes with a lot of pressure. Winning consistently as the Indian Captain can catapult a player to stardom while losing can make him a public enemy. In this article, we will look at the five Indian captains with the most victories in International cricket.
#5 Kapil Dev – 43 wins
The legendary all-rounder’s most memorable achievement as captain is the 1983 World Cup which kickstarted a cricketing revolution in India. He masterminded one of the greatest underdog stories in cricket as India surprised heavy favourites West Indies to clinch the trophy in 1983. Kapil Dev is fifth in the list of Indian Captains with the most victories, with 43 wins in 108 games.
Despite his captaincy success at a young age, Kapil Dev was forced to resign before the 1985 World Championship. He captained India only for five years from 1982-1987 as reports of internal conflict and unfair criticism resulted in Dev giving up the skipper post for the greater good.
#4 Sourav Ganguly – 97 wins
Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket cannot be undermined as he took up the job during a very difficult phase in Indian cricket. Indian cricket was in turmoil after the match-fixing controversy and Ganguly made an entire nation fall in love with cricket again with his unmatched charisma.
Ganguly gave an opportunity to youngsters such as Yuvraj and Kaif while retaining the faith of seniors in his approach. His aggressive brand of cricket, both as a batsman and a captain, made India a feared unit in the eyes of other great teams of that era. Reaching the 2003 World Cup final and breaking Australia’s unbeaten streak in Tests in 2001 are some of his notable achievements.
#3 Mohammad Azharuddin – 104 wins
Azharuddin captained India from 1990-1999, right until the match-fixing scandal ended his cricketing career. Azhar’s captaincy reign was a largely disappointing period for Indian fans as the Indian team was going through a transition phase. However, there are a few memorable moments such as the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup in the UAE and the 1993 Hero Cup at home.
Although his team struggled, Azhar excelled with the bat as a captain, scoring over 8000 runs at an average of 40. It must be said that with a better set of bowlers and lower-order batsmen, Azhar would have accomplished a lot more as a captain.
#2 Virat Kohli – 128 wins
When Kohli first became the captain in 2014, there were doubts over his ability to lead a team in a calm, matured way like his predecessor Dhoni. But in the last six years, Kohli has shown that aggression can also fuel a team’s victory and has also led the way with the bat. An extraordinary run of nine straight series victories until 2018 is the crowning jewel of Kohli’s time as the Indian skipper.
Kohli is second in the list of Indian Captains with the most victories, with 128 wins in 200 games. Lack of an ICC trophy is the only regret and the drought might be overcome in October with the T-20 World Cup in India.
#1 MS Dhoni – 178 wins
Dhoni’s win percentage of 52 as captain in international cricket does not totally justify the achievements of his glittering career. A nation heartbroken after the 2007 ODI World Cup found solace when the young Indian team under Dhoni won the T-20 WC in 2007.
The World Cup in 2011 and Champions Trophy in 2013 made him the only captain to win all three major ICC tournaments. His Test career was filled with highs and lows but no one can question the kind of impact he had on an entire generation of Indian players.
