Who Are India’s Most Successful Winning Captains?
India is the capital of the world. The country has hosted two Cups and great captains have extracted the most from their players. But who have been the most successful Indian captains? Today, we take a look at the list of India’s most successful caps, based on win percentage and other statistics.
India’s most successful captain?
There are some of the famous names in the list of Indian captains. But what everyone is undeniably concerned about is whose name is the most successful captain in the country. There are many criteria to determine the best player/captain, but the basis is still the number of wins brought to the team. For example, Virat Kohli has the best ODI record under his belt and MS Dhoni has the most number of EIS trophies. But still, there are captains in India whose endeavor and commitment to the sport have earned them the title of India’s best captains.
Top 10 Indian Captains
In the comparison chart, you can find out for yourself who is the best captain in India.
| Position | Best captain of India | Career | Win% | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | 2017-2022 | 86.04 | 43 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 2013-2022 | 63.38 | 213 | 135 | 60 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | MS Dhoni | 2007-2018 | 53.61 | 332 | 178 | 120 | 6 | 15 |
| 4 | Sourav Ganguly | 1999-2055 | 49.74 | 195 | 97 | 78 | 0 | 15 |
| 5 | Rahul Dravid | 2000-2007 | 48.07 | 104 | 50 | 39 | 0 | 11 |
| 6 | Mohd Azharuddin | 1990-1999 | 47.05 | 221 | 104 | 90 | 2 | 19 |
| 7 | Kapil Dev | 1982-1987 | 39.81 | 108 | 43 | 40 | 1 | 22 |
| 8 | Sachin Tendulkar | 1996-2000 | 27.55 | 98 | 27 | 52 | 1 | 12 |
| 9 | Sunil Gavaskar | 1976-1985 | 27.38 | 84 | 23 | 29 | 0 | 30 |
| 10 | Nawab of Pataudi | 1962-1975 | 22.5 | 40 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
Rohit Sharma – 86.04 winning percentage in 43 matches
An elegant player with the bat and a proven leader, Rohit Sharma is the current captain of the Indian cricket team. In the Virat Kohli era, he was the reserve captain of the Indian team. He led India to overseas Test victories and also won the Asia Cup in 2018. He has proved himself to be an excellent wicket-keeper when he was not captain. Sharma has also proved his ability in the Indian Premier League, leading Mumbai Indians to five wins. It is an obvious fact that he has the highest match-winning percentage in India at 86.04 per cent. Sharma’s strength as a captain is his ability to manage people well and build natural communication at a high level. Sharma has captained India in 43 matches, which is statistically the highest in the industry.
Virat Kohli – 63.38% of wins in 213 matches
Kohli can boast of the highest winning percentage of 63.38 per cent. His leadership has had a huge impact on the team as captain. He has the highest winning percentage among all Indian captains who have captained the Indian cricket team for more than 100 matches. In other words, no one can match him in this parameter. He succeeded MS Dhoni in 2014 and lifted India from seventh place to the top of the Test rankings. During his captaincy, the team won seven Tests in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). He led the team to its first All-Test win in Australia and its first ODI series win in South Africa. India has never lost a Test series at home.
MS Dhoni – 53,61 wins in 332 matches
In addition to several multinational series, he has led India to three unprecedented ICC titles – World T202007, ODI WorldMag2011 and Champions Trophy 2013. Under his leadership, India won 110 out of 200 ODIs, 41 out of 72 T20s and won the Champions Trophy in the World T20 in 2007. This performance made Dhoni India’s most successful captain in ODI cricket. He is also the most successful captain in the Indian T20 cricket tournament, with PR leading India to 27 wins from 60 Tests. He led a new generation, endeavored to instill confidence, dedication to the sport, and love for his country and brought India their first World T20 cricket title after a successful victory in 2007 and the ODI World Cup 2011 title after a 28-year wait.
Sourav Ganguly – 49.74 wins in 195 matches
The ICDhoni has brought India a lot of success. Virat Kohli gave India spirit and aggression. But what made Sourav stand out was that he gave the team another set of qualities – self-belief and grit. He became captain during the match-fixing scandal of 1999 when Indian cricket reached the bottom. He became, according to many experts, the greatest captain in the history of Indian cricket. One of his greatest achievements was helping India reach the final of the 2003 World Cup, finishing second behind unbeaten Australia. Ganguly also captained the Indian team in the 2002 NatWest series in England. Under his leadership, India won 21 of 49 Tests and 76 of 146 ODIs. Ganguly has played an important role in developing young talent.
Rahul Dravid – 48.07 wins in 104 matches
The reliable Rahul Dravid was named the captain of the best in 2006. Dravid led the team in Ganguly’s absence, especially during the 2003-2004 Test series in Pakistan. In the first match, Dravid helped the team win their first Test series in Pakistan. Since being appointed captain, Dravid has led India to historic victories in the West Indies and England; he is also the first captain to win four ODI series. He has seven wins from 25 Test matches and 42 wins from 79 ODIs to his credit. When India struggled and suffered setbacks in the 2007 World Cup, he was the captain who battled through adversity, utilized his strengths and professionalism and confidently led the team behind him. Soon after India, who had finished second in the previous tournament, lost the group stage, Dravid relinquished the captaincy.
Mohammad Azharuddin – 47.05 wins in 221 matches
Won 14 out of 90 ODI matches as captain, the highest for an Indian captain until he was overtaken by Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni. He is also the only Indian captain to have led England to victory in one-day and Test series. Under Azhar’s leadership, India won 13 of the 14 Tests played at home. These victories were accompanied by criticism that the pitch was prepared in favor of the Indian host teams. As captain, Azharplokh has played overseas and helped India win the 1995 Asia Cup in Sharjah and is the only Indian captain to have captained the Indian team at each of the three World Cups in 1992, 1996 and 1999.
Kapil Dev – 39,81 wins in 108 matches
Kapil Dev may have had the lowest winning percentage, but he was the best captain of the Indian cricket team. The star all-rounder led India to an amazing victory in the 1986 World Cup. The overall statistics were not particularly impressive, mainly because the Test match results rarely stacked up in India’s favor. Under Kapil’s leadership, India played 34 Test matches, winning only four. Nevertheless, under his leadership, the Indian team held on for a historic 2-0 win in all England Tests. However, in the ODIs, he took 39 wickets in 74 runs – half of the total.
Sachin Tendulkar – 27,55 wins in 98 matches
He took over the captaincy from Mohammad Azharuddin in 1996. However, he has been a successful captain for India. Tendulkar captained India in 25 Test matches, winning four and losing nine; in the ODIs, he won 23 and lost 43 of 73 matches. His Test winning percentage was 16 and in the ODIs, it was 35.07. During this period he led the India-Australia tour unsuccessfully, losing all three Tests and winning 14 ODIs in three series against Pakistan. He retired in 2000 after another 0-2 home defeat to South Africa.
Sunil Gavaskar – 27.38 wins in 43 matches
Sunil Gavaskar first captained the team in 1976, though he was dropped from the captaincy in 1979. He was reinstated as captain soon after but relinquished the captaincy in 1985. Under Gavaskar’s leadership, India won 14 of 37 ODIs and 9 of 47 Tests. While the record was less than remarkable, there were some wins. Gavaskar’s captaincy began with a Test series win at home against West Indies and ended with a triumph in the 1985 Cricket World Cup.
Nawab Pataudi’s win percentage is 22.5% in 40 matches
Pataudi became the captain of the Indian team at the age of 21. He has played 46 matches, 40 of which he has been a team captain. 9 wins from 19 defeats is not a bad record, but Pataudi has inspired a lot of confidence amongst the Indians. He has played 46 matches, 40 of which he has captained. 9 wins from 19 defeats is not a bad record, but Pataudi instilled confidence in the Windies. He was the first Indian captain to lead India to victory in New Zealand. In 1968, India won the 1968 World Cup. India won the series 3-1 and Pataudi became the first Indian captain to lead his team to victory in an overseas Test series. The peak was a 0-4 defeat to Australia. This comeback showed the spirit and confidence of Pataudi as India’s most successful captain.
The truth about who is the best captain in India
It is worth relying on several fundamental factors to find out the essence of who was the best captain and was able to make the greatest contribution both to the world of cricket development and to provide quality mentoring to players committed to the sport.
- Kapil Dev, the captain who led India to its first World Cup victory in 1983, came of age in this historic triumph. His leadership qualities and all-round skills played a key role in India’s success. Most fans and observers consider him the greatest captain of all time. His name goes down in cricket history as a man characterized by calmness, sharp and quick reactions and good decision-making. Under his leadership, India has won numerous ICC titles, including the World Twenty202007, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy;
- Virat Kohli, known for his passion and aggression on the field, leads India with determination and has the highest winning percentage as captain. His dedication to the cause, team or example makes him a leader and is admired by players and fans alike;
- Sourav Ganguly has instilled fearlessness and aggressiveness in the team. His contribution as captain has been crucial in developing young talent and building a strong team.
Conclusion
In this article, we tried to figure out who carries the banner of the best captain in India. We tried to provide a lot of indicators, even characteristics of the personal qualities of the captains so that it would help you make your own conclusion. Captains like Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are certainly among the leaders in achieving and bringing success to India.
To make your bets on cricket easy, fast, and most importantly, safe, use the proven Parimatch service, which supports the INR currency, is available in Hindi and provides support to its customers 24/7. A fairly simple account registration will greet you with a warm welcome, and you will also receive a welcome bonus on your first deposit. Having made a minimum deposit, you can immediately start enjoying the services of bookmakers, and if you value comfort in placing bets, you can download the mobile application on the site and place bets from there.
Choose between live or pre-match bets. The website provides tips, online odds and much more. Apart from cricket, you can bet on esports, virtual sports and many more interesting opportunities. Don’t miss your chance, it costs nothing to register an account on our Parimatch website and you will see what pleasant surprises Indian users enjoy.
FAQ
Updated:
