Five best Indian cricket captains of all time

Indian cricket has seen many tumultuous times and has been blighted by a lot of controversies over the years. In spite of the bevy of stars the country has produced, great captains have been few and far between, as far as India is concerned. We take a peek at the five best Indian captains in its history.

5. Kapil Dev

The all-rounder from Haryana is one of the best cricketers India has ever produced. He captained India from 1982 to 1987. Even though his Test record as skipper is not too impressive, he captained India to its first World Cup triumph in 1983. He was also the highest wicket taker of his time in both test and ODI matches and scored 5000 plus runs in Tests. He has a positive record in one-dayers as well. He was also appointed as the coach of Indian National Cricket Team in 1999.

4. Mohammad Azharuddin

Mohammad Azharuddin was an excellent captain for Team India, in terms of longevity. Azhar was a stellar batsman who replicated his form in his captaincy as well. He had a positive record as skipper in both Tests and ODIs. The talismanic batsman was a great fielder and led India to many series wins. However, he was embroiled in the spot fixing controversy and by the time his ban was lifted, it was too late for him to return to the gentleman’s game.

3. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is touted to become the best batsman in the world. Add to that the fact that he is an inspiring leader and fielder. Kohli has been captaining India since the year 2014 since MS Dhoni took off the reins as captain. As of now, the dashing batsman is the most successful Test Captain in India’s cricket history and has led the country to the numero uno position. He is the only person to have received the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year Award, the ICC Test Player of the Year and the ICC ODI Player of the Year in the same year. 

2. Sourav Ganguly

The Prince of Calcutta, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly is one of the most consistent batsmen for India and was also arguably the most attacking captain the country has ever seen. Having captained the side from 1999 to 2005, Dada was instrumental in lifting the spirit of the team, which was deeply affected by the match-fixing scandal. He won 21 Tests and 76 ODIs in what was a remarkable career. He is currently the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal. He was captain of the Indian side during its ICC Champions Trophy win and Natwest Series victory.

1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MS Dhoni captained India from the year 2007 to 2016, and is hailed as one of the finest captains the world has seen. A brilliant wicketkeeper and batsman, Dhoni has a hugely positive record in both the Test and ODI formats. He stunned the entire world by leading India to the 2007 World T20 title in South Africa. He was the Man of the Match in the 2011 ICC World Cup Final, as he made hosts India the world champions. Dhoni followed it up by inspiring India to an ICC Champions Trophy triumph in 2013.