India is a cricketing powerhouse. It has taken strong leaders to take the team to great heights. The nation, with two World Cups, has seen great captains bring the best out of the players. But who is the most successful captain in India?
Let’s take a look at the ranking of the most successful captain of India according to their win percentages and other statistics.
Most Successful Captain in India
The list of Indian captains features some of cricket’s famous names. But who is the most successful captain in India? There are various parameters to rank them, but one of the most important is the win percentage of Indian captains. So while Virat Kohli has the best ODI record or MS Dhoni has the most ICC trophies, there are the best cricket captains in India whose win rate is better than all.
10 Indian Best Captain
Let’s find out who is the best captain in the India. The list combines ODIs, Tests, and T20Is statistics to define the India best captain.
|
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 | 1999-2005 | 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 win percentage in 43 matches
- Position: Opening batsman
- Matches as a captain: 43
- Span as captain: 2017-2022
- Won: 37
- Lost: 6
An elegant batsman and a proven leader, Rohit Sharma is the current all-format captain of Indian cricket team.
Rohit Sharma was India’s go-to backup captain during the Virat Kohli era. He led India to overseas Test wins and even the 2018 Asia Cup. When not captaining, he proved to be an excellent deputy to Kohli. So when Kohli gave up captaincy earlier this year, Sharma was the obvious choice.
Sharma has also proven his abilities in the Indian Premier League, taking Mumbai Indians to five. Rohit Sharma has the most winning percentage captain in India – 86.04%. Sharma’s strengths as a captain lie in his man-management and communication. It’s still early days, and Sharma has only led India in 43 matches, but statistically, he is India best captain.
Virat Kohli – 63.38 win percentage in 213 matches
- Position: Top-order batsman
- Matches as a captain: 213
- Span as captain: 2013-2022
- Won: 135
- Lost: 60
While Rohit Sharma may be ahead according to the percentage, Virat Kohli captaincy left a much bigger impact as a captain. Among Indian captains who have led the Indian national cricket team in 100+ matches, Kohli has the highest win rate of 63.38%.
He took over from MS Dhoni in 2014 and took India to the top from seventh in the Test rankings. Under Kohli, India played aggressively and didn’t care about the opponent’s reputation.
When Kohli was the India cricket captain, the team won seven Tests in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) nations. In fact, he led India to their first Test series win in Australia and their first ODI series win in South Africa. India never lost a Test series at home (winning 11 out of 11) with Captain Kohli. He has the most Test as captain in India.
MS Dhoni: 53.61 win percentage in 332 matches
- Position: Wicket-keeper batsman
- Matches as a captain: 332
- Span as captain: 2007-2018
- Won: 178
- Lost: 120
MS Dhoni is the best captain in the India. In addition to several multi-nation series, Dhoni led India to an unprecedented three ICC titles – 2007 World T20, 2011 ODI World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy. Under his command, India won 110 out of 200 ODIs. In T20Is, he captained India to 41 wins out of 72.
The numbers make Dhoni the most successful captain in ODI cricket in India. He was also the most successful captain of T20 cricket in India. Dhoni also led India to 27 wins from 60 Tests, ranking only behind Kohli.
While numbers tell the story, India’s most successful captain was also about building up a new generation and giving them confidence. Such traits he displayed as IPL captain, too, taking Chennai Super Kings to 9 finals and 4 titles. His heroics won India the inaugural World T20 title after a horrific World Cup in 2007. The 2011 World Cup ended the 28-year wait for an ODI world title.
Sourav Ganguly: 49.74 win percentage in 195 matches
- Position: Batsman
- Matches as a captain: 195
- Span as captain: 1999-2005
- Won: 97
- Lost: 78
MS Dhoni brought India great success. Virat Kohli gave India aggression. But it was Sourav Ganguly who truly gave India self-belief and courage. Ganguly took over the captaincy during Indian cricket’s lowest point – the 1999 match-fixing scandal. After that, he arguably became the best captain in Indian cricket history.
One of his great achievements was taking India to the 2003 World Cup final, where they finished second-best to an invincible Australia. Ganguly also captained India to the 2002 Natwest series in England (and celebrated in an iconic manner at the Lord’s balcony). Under his watch, India won 21 out of 49 Tests and 76 out of 146 ODIs.
His 28 overseas wins are second only behind Kohli’s 29. He was also the first Indian captain to draw a Test series in Australia. More than the on-field successes, however, Ganguly was instrumental in bringing up young talents.
Rahul Dravid: 48.07 win percentage in 104 matches
- Position: Batsman
- Matches as a captain: 104
- Span as captain: 2000-2007
- Won: 50
- Lost: 39
The dependable Rahul Dravid took up the role in 2006. Dravid had previously led the team in Ganguly’s absence, most notably during the 2003-04 Test series in Pakistan. In the first match, captain Dravid helped India win their first Test in Pakistan.
After becoming full-time captain, Dravid led India to historic wins in West Indies and England. He also won his first four ODI series as a captain. He has a positive win-loss record as a captain, winning 8 out of 25 Test matches and 42 out of 79 ODIs.
Rahul Dravid was the captain during India’s disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign. The previous edition’s runners-up, India, crashed out in the group stage, and Dravid gave up captaincy soon after.
Mohammad Azharuddin: 47.05 win percentage in 221 matches
- Position: Batsman
- Matches as a captain: 221
- Span as captain: 1990-1999
- Won: 104
- Lost: 90
While his career ended abruptly and his record was tarnished by the fixing scandal, Mohammad Azharuddin had proven his mettle as the best Indian captain before that. As a captain, he won 14 Tests and 90 ODIs. Those numbers were the best for any Indian captain before Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni passed them, respectively.
He was the only Indian captain to whitewash England in both one-day and Test series. India, in fact, won 13 out of the 14 Tests at home under Azhar. The wins came with the criticism that the pitches were prepared to favor the Indian team heavily. Overseas, Azhar had a dismal record as the captain. He did help India win the Asia Cup in Sharjah in 1995 and is also the only Indian captain to lead the team in three World Cups (1992, 1996, 1999).
Kapil Dev: 39.81 win percentage in 108 matches
- Position: All-rounder
- Matches as a captain: 108
- Span as captain: 1982-1987
- Won: 43
- Lost: 40
Kapil Dev might be low on the list according to the win percentage, but he was the best Indian cricket team captain. The star all-rounder led India to an unbelievable triumph in the 1983 World Cup. The visual of him holding the trophy at Lord’s remains iconic. But what do the numbers say?
While his overall stats seem unimpressive, it’s mostly because the Test results rarely went India’s way. Kapil led India in 34 Test matches and could only win four of them. However, he captained India to a historic 2-0 Test series win in England. In the ODIs, however, he guided India to 39 wins out of 74 at a win rate of 54.16.
Sachin Tendulkar: 27.55 win percentage in 98 matches
- Position: Batsman
- Matches as a captain: 98
- Span as captain: 1996-2000
- Won: 27
- Lost: 52
It’s ironic that the two great Indian batsmen arguably were the country’s not as good captains. First, let’s talk about Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar took over the captaincy from Mohammad Azharuddin in 1996 when he was already a superstar cricketer. However, he could not become a successful captain in India.
Tendulkar led India in 25 Test matches, winning four and losing nine. In ODIs, he won 23 out of 73 and lost 43. The winning percentage in Tests was 16 and in ODIs – 35.07. During this period, he led India on a disastrous tour of Australia, where the team lost all three Tests and won 1 out of 14 ODIs in the tri-series, also featuring Pakistan.
Even worse, his personal form too suffered as Tendulkar’s average in both Tests and ODIs went down as captain. He resigned in 2000 after another 0-2 defeat in Tests to South Africa at home.
Sunil Gavaskar: 27.38 win percentage in 43 matches
- Position: Opening batsman
- Matches as a captain: 43
- Span as captain: 1976-1985
- Won: 23
- Lost: 29
The other great batter from India, Sunil Gavaskar, first led in 1976 but was stripped of the captaincy in 1979. He was restored as captain soon after but gave it up completely in 1985.
Under Gavaskar, India won 14 out of 37 ODIs and 9 out of 47 Tests. While the record was less than impressive, there were some highs as well. Gavaskar’s captaincy tenure started with a Test series win at home versus West Indies, and it ended with the World Championship of Cricket triumph in 1985.
Nawab of Pataudi: 22.5 win percentage in 40 matches
- Position: Batsman
- Matches as a captain: 40
- Span as captain: 1962-1975
- Won: 9
- Lost: 19
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi lost vision in his right eye after a car accident and was made India captain months later. All this at the age of 21. He played 46 Tests and led in 40 of them. You can say that 9 wins and 19 defeats make for a mediocre record, but Pataudi gave India confidence.
He was the first India team captain who led to a Test win in New Zealand. India won that series in 1968 3-1, and Pataudi became the Indian captain to guide the side to an overseas Test series win. The high came after a 0-4 loss to Australia at home. The turnaround showed MAK Pataudi’s spirit and confidence as an Indian most successful captain.
FAQ
Who is the best captain in India?
Answering the question of who is the best captain in India, Rohit Sharma is the best captain in India, with the highest win percentage of 86.04.
Who is the most successful ODI captain of India?
MS Dhoni is the most successful ODI captain, with 110 wins in 200 matches at a win rate of 59.52%.
Who is the No. 1 captain in cricket?
Australia’s Steve Waugh remains the world best captain in India in cricket history, with a win percentage of 66.25 in 163 matches.
Who is the most successful India T20 captain?
MS Dhoni has the most wins as captain in T20 in India, with 41 wins in 72 games at a win percentage of 59.28.
Who is the best captain in the world?
Steve Waugh is the best captain in the world with a win percentage of 65.23 in Tests and 72.2 in ODIs. His overall win percentage is 68.6.
Conclusion
Who is the best captain of India? It depends on what you choose to look at. Dhoni has the most ODI wins as captain of India. Virat Kohli has the best percentage in 200+ matches. Rohit Sharma is the best captain of the Indian national cricket team when it comes to the overall win rate.
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