Indian Captains With Most Runs In Test Cricket In A Losing Cause

Former Indian test skipper Virat Kohli ended his stint as India’s Test captain after losing the series against South Africa. A day after the Test series loss, Kohli announced his decision to step down as India’s Test captain. He ended his captaincy stint for India scoring the most runs (1525) in a losing cause.

Virat Kohli scored 79 and 29 in his last two innings as India’s Test captain. Overall, he led India in 68 Tests, winning 40 Tests while losing 17. His winning percentage is 58.52, the best among all Indian captains ever. Meanwhile, in this article, we take a look at Indian captains with the most runs in a losing cause and Kohli tops the list.

Indian Captains With Most Runs In Test Cricket In A Losing Cause

Virat Kohli- 1525

The former Indian test skipper scored over 1500 runs in a losing cause for India. Ever since taking over the Test captaincy in 2014, Kohli was India’s consistent run-getter in any and every condition. Between 1016-2019, he produced his best returns with the bat for the Indian team across formats.

He took India from the seventh to the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings. He also ends his captaincy tenure with India as the top-ranked Test team despite the defeat in the South Africa Test series.

Also Read: Just In: Virat Kohli Steps Down As India’s Test Captain

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi- 1298

Pataudi remains the youngest ever Test captain for India. He assumed captaincy at the young age of 21 and led in 40 of the 46 tests that he played in. Overall, in 46 Tests between 1961 to 1975, he scored 2793 runs at an average of 34.91.

Of the 2700 odd runs that he scored, Pataudi scored 1298 of those for a losing cause. Of the 40 Tests that he led India in, he won nine games, lost 19 and drew 19 games as well.

MS Dhoni- 957

MS Dhoni scored 957 runs in a losing cause for India as the side’s captain in Test cricket. Overall, he played 90 Test matches out of which he led India in 60 of them. Dhoni scored 4876 runs in his Test career at an average of 38.09 and a strike rate touching 60.

Mohammad Azharuddin- 814

Azharuddin led the Indian team during one of its most controversial periods. The Indian team were involved in match-fixing controversy during that time, and Azharuddin found himself in the middle of all of it.

Overall, he played 99 Test matches and scored 6215 runs out of which 814 of them came in a losing cause. Azhar retired from international cricket ultimately in 2000.

Sachin Tendulkar-737

The former Indian batting legend played 200 Test matches before ultimately retiring from the game in 2013. His career spanned over two decades as he played under several captains. Tendulkar ended with hundred of international hundreds and the most runs in ODI and Test cricket.

He scored 15921 of which 737 runs were scored in a losing cause during his captaincy career in Test cricket. He could not become a good captain for his team as India faced some of its most unforgettable losses under his captaincy.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Most Test Losses By Indian Captains In South Africa