Who is The Best Indian Cricket Captain - Top 5 Captains of All Times

Choosing a captain depends on the circumstances. When Sourav Ganguly became a captain, you needed that kind of person. When Rahul Dravid became a captain, you needed that kind of person. So, captaincy depends on the team's situation.

Also, not everyone can be a captain. Each one has its abilities. When Sachin Tendulkar became captain, India’s performance began to deteriorate, which is why he was removed from captaincy.

Source-IWMBuzz

Later again, he became captain, but this time he resigned from captaincy. Therefore, captaincy depends on the person and the situation.

Virat as a Captain

MPL lists Virat Kohli as the most successful captain in India. As a captain, he played 213 matches, won 135 matches, lost 60 matches, and had a win percentage of 63.38%. M.S. Dhoni follows in the list.

He played 332 matches as a captain, won 178 matches, lost 120 matches, and had a win percentage of 53.61%. Dhoni’s win percentage is 10% lower than Virat’s, but he has played 119 matches more than Virat.

What Qualities a Captain Must Have?

Captaincy is always difficult. It's a very big responsibility to be a leader in a cricket team, especially when it is a professional match. A captain needs to have a strategy before the match. The captain, along with the cricket council members, has to discuss which player is fit to play in the tournament. A Plan A, a Plan B, and a Plan C are essential.

Appropriate field placement is required depending on the bowler’s line & length and the opponent batsman. The captain must use each player to his/her full potential and decide the batting and bowling order.

The captain needs to take suggestions from senior players. The captain should motivate the players, encourage the youngsters and build their confidence, especially when they are in a losing situation.

The captain must improvise the team and avoid sledging if it occurs. The captain should also make sure he/she isn’t an annoying character in the dressing room. So there is a big task for the captain, and yet when the team loses the match, the captain is the one trolled the most.

Now Let's Take A Look At Some Of India's Best Captains

In ODI’s

Kapil Dev had a win percentage of 52.7 and a loss percentage of 44.59. Mohammad Azharudin had a win percentage of 51.72 and a loss percentage of 43.67. Sourav Ganguly had a win percentage of 52.05 and a loss percentage of 44.52.

Rahul Dravid had a win percentage of 53.16 and a loss percentage of 41.77. M.S. Dhoni had a win percentage of 55% and a loss percentage of 37. Virat Kohli had a win percentage of 68.42 and a 28.42 loss percentage.

In T20’s

M.S. Dhoni had a win percentage of 56.94 and a loss percentage of 38.8. Virat Kohli had a win percentage of 60 and a loss percentage of 32.

In Tests

Kapil Dev had a win percentage of 11.76 and a loss percentage of 20.58. Mohammad Azharudin had both a win and loss percentage of 29.78. Sourav Ganguly had a win percentage of 42.55 and a loss percentage of 24.53.

Rahul Dravid had a win percentage of 32 and a loss percentage of 24. M.S. Dhoni had a win percentage of 45 and a loss percentage of 30. Virat Kohli had a win percentage of 56.32 and a loss percentage of 25.

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev is loved by people. His teammates acknowledge that India won the 1983 world cup only because of Kapil Dev. Nobody expected India to win the world cup. It is also important to note that neither the Indian players have any confidence in themselves except their captain.

In a losing situation against Zimbabwe, he came out and hit 175 runs. This changed the face of the Indian dressing room. None of the team members came to England intending to win the world cup, but it was only their captain who brought them on the line.

Saurav Ganguly

I don't know much about Sourav Ganguly since when he became captain, I was either born or was too young to remember him. But when his name comes to my mind, I remember watching the highlight match of the Natwest Trophy 2002 final.

In this match, India chased down a 326-run target to win the match, followed by Sourav’s iconic jersey-waving moment. Many people have told me that he was a very good captain. As a captain, he was an uplifting figure. His captaincy started with Indian cricket at its lowest ebb.

This Indian side regularly troubled the Aussies, and they prevailed in England too. Till 2007, he was one of the most successful captains until he was replaced by M.S. Dhoni.

M.S. Dhoni

There is a lot to say about M.S. Dhoni, as I have seen him lead the Indian team for many years. He is the most successful Indian captain as the team has won the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, Asia Cup (2 times), Champions League T20, and IPL trophies (2 times).

He has led his squad successfully, and no doubt he is known as captain cool because of his ability to deal with tight situations calmly.

Just like Sourav Ganguly, he has inspired several young players. Even Kohli found comfort in asking him for suggestions when Kohli was the captain. Though he has won trophies in ODI and T20 but failed to win in Tests, people still look up to him.

Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid

Both Virat Kohli & Rahul Dravid were excellent players and tried to keep up with captaincy. Virat captained the U-19 team and led India to win the 2008 ICC U-19 World Cup. He led the national team from 2014-22.

Under his leadership, India achieved massive success across all formats. The only drawback was failing to win ICC trophies. He had self-confidence. Under his leadership, India reached the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, the semi-finals of the 2019 ICC World Cup, and the finals of the 2021 ICC World Test Championship.

Rahul Dravid had a calm & collective attitude and the capacity to bring out the excellence in his teammates. He was given the nickname ‘The Wall’ by cricket fans because he batted for extended periods.

The most time any batsman has spent on the crease in a test match is Dravid’s 735 hours and 52 minutes. He earned this winning rate in an era when the Indian team was taking up winning momentum in international cricket.

Way Forward

I mentioned above the five most successful Indian Male Cricket Team captains. Each of them was a remarkable captain. As I mentioned earlier that captaincy depends on the situation the team is in. Accordingly, that kind of person is required.

Written by Claton Borges Suares