Asian Captains With The Most Test Wins In SENA Countries

The Asian teams thrive on Sub-continent pitches, especially in Test Cricket. The spin-friendly conditions keep them in good stead. However, their biggest challenge, over the years, has been playing in SENA countries.

In Alien conditions where the pitches assist pace, swing, and bounce, the Asian teams struggle to rise to the occasion and dominate the opposition.

In the history of Test Cricket, the Asian countries don’t have a great record against SENA countries. Winning a Test match has been a challenge, let alone winning a series overseas. There aren’t a lot of Test matches won by Asian countries in SENA nations. And, on that note, let’s find out the top 4 Asian captains with the most number of Test wins in SENA countries:

Asian Captains With The Most Test Wins In SENA Countries

MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni is hailed as arguably the most successful captain, India have ever had. He had led India to all the ICC trophies, i.e., ICC 2007 T20 World Cup, ICC 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. Though, he didn’t enjoy the same success in the longest format of the game.

Under his leadership, India won a historic Test series win in New Zealand in 2009. India won the first of the three-match series by a margin of 10 wickets. The next two Tests resulted in draws. Besides, MS Dhoni has managed to win two more Test wins in SENA countries. During India’s tour of South Africa in 2010, India won the second Test against the Proteas by 87 runs.

One of the memorable Test wins under MS Dhoni came at Lord’s in the 2014 tour of England. After the first Test resulted in a draw, India won the second Test at Lord’s by 95 runs. Riding on Ajinkya Rahane’s 104, India posted 295 runs in the first innings. England, in reply, notched 319 runs in the second innings.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked a six-for. India’s second innings saw them scoring 342 runs, with valuable contributions from Murali Vijay, Pujara, Jadeja, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Chasing the total in the fourth innings, England were bundled out for 223 runs, thereby winning the game by 95 runs.

MS Dhoni-led the Indian Cricket Team in 60 Tests during his career. Of those, he managed to secure 3 Test wins in SENA countries.

Wasim Akram:

One of the greatest fast bowlers the game has ever seen, Wasim Akram had decent numbers as captain in Test Cricket. He led the Pakistan Cricket Team in 25 Tests, resulting in 12 wins, 8 losses, and 5 draws. He boasted of a win percentage of 48. His most memorable Test series win came in England in 1996.

Under his leadership, Pakistan won the Test series in England by a 2-0 margin. Wasim Akram and Co. won the first Test match by 164 runs. The second Test resulted in a draw, while the third Test was won by Pakistan by 9 wickets.

Wasim Akram boasts of the third most number of Test wins as an Asian captain in SENA countries. He has led Pakistan to 4 Test match wins in SENA countries.

Javed Miandad: 4 Test wins

Javed Miandad sits at the second position in the elite list. He is counted as one of the most successful Pakistan captains in Test Cricket. He led Pakistan’s Test side in 34 Tests between 1980 and 1993. Under his leadership, Pakistan tasted victories in 14 Tests and suffered defeats in 6 Test matches.

As many as 14 Tests resulted in draws. Currently, he has the third-most number of Test wins as a Pakistan captain. Interestingly, he had six separate captaincy stints during his Test cricket career- the most for any cricketer.

Javed Miandad is also the most successful Pakistan skipper when it comes to SENA countries. Under his captaincy, Pakistan won 4 Test matches in SENA countries.

Virat Kohli: 5 Test wins 

Following India’s recent Test win at Lord’s, Virat Kohli now tops the list of Asian Captains with the most number of Test wins in SENA countries. There is no denying that Virat Kohli has transformed the Indian Test side into a brutal force. Unlike the early late 90s, India now have a potent fast-bowling unit, which is helping the Men in Blue succeed in overseas conditions.

Under the leadership of Virat Kohli, India scripted history after winning their first-ever Test series win in Australia in 2018. They replicated the feat after securing a 2-1 win in the 2020 Border Gavaskar Series, although Virat Kohli had gone home after the first Test of the series. In the ongoing Test series against England, India currently leads the series 1-0 with three games left to be played.

Virat Kohli is the only active cricketer on the list. So far, India have managed to secure 5 Test wins in SENA countries.