Top 5 Players Who Have Captained India In Most Test Matches

In the rich history of Indian men’s cricket which extends for 89 years, dating back from 1932, the country has had 33 different men captain in Test match cricket in a total of 551 Tests (the World Test Championship Final included, which is India’s first-ever neutral Test). Of those, the Asian giants have achieved victory in 162 matches, lost 169, while drew 219.

C.K.Nayudu led India in its first-ever Test match in 1932 on the tour to England. It took about 20 years for India to register their maiden Test match win, under the captaincy of Vijay Hazare, in Chennai when they hosted England in 1952.

It took another 16 years to record their maiden overseas Test win – in 1968 in Dunedin against New Zealand, under Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, subsequently winning the series as well. The team has attained greater heights since then – they have now defeated Australia twice in their backyard, and have dominated the ICC rankings for a long time; they are now one Test match win away in the WTC Final to assert be claimed as the best Test team in the world.

Here we look at the 5 men who have captained India in most Test matches:

5. Sunil Gavaskar – 47 Tests

Sunil Gavaskar, the original Little Master, was at the forefront of India’s success in the ’70s and ’80s as he became the first batsman to breach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. Gavaskar captained India in 47 matches, of which they won 9, lost 8, and drew 30, in a 9 year period from 1976 to 1985.

His 19.14 per cent success as captain may not indicate any dominance from the Indian team – well because it wasn’t as it was the West Indies who dominated the world cricket in that era.

4. Mohammad Azharuddin – 47 Tests

Revered to have one of the finest wrist-work in the business, Mohammad Azharuddin led his country for a 9-year period from 1990 to 1999 in 47 Tests – at a win percentage of 29.78 because of 14 wins, 14 losses, and 19 draws. Under Azharuddin, India recorded series wins in Sri Lanka twice. Sadly, his career ended in the controversy of match-fixing.

3. Sourav Ganguly – 49 Tests

Sourav Ganguly is regarded as the revolutionary captain in Indian cricket history. Someone who gave the fans some hope in the country’s cricket structure; he took over the captaincy in the ruins of the match-fixing rumblings in the world cricket – and Sachin Tendulkar’s poor captaincy stint of 4 wins in 25 Tests – and put it on a pedestal where oppositions feared the team which they once rolled over.

The team won 21 matches and lost 13 of the 49 Ganguly skippered in. The left-hander led India in the iconic, memorable 2001 home Test series win over Australia – a series which had great bearing on the country’s sport and stature in world cricket.

Under Ganguly, India registered Test match wins in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies, England, Pakistan, and Australia. His captaincy tenure, which began in 2000, ended in a controversy with coach Greg Chappell in 2005.

2. MS Dhoni – 60 Tests

MS Dhoni became the first captain to take India to the top position in ICC Test rankings in 2009, and he achieved that in just one year of taking over from Anil Kumble. The Ranchi lad led India in a record 60 Tests, winning 27 matches and suffering defeat in 18.

The Asian giants registered Test match wins in South Africa, England, New Zealand, West Indies, and a series win in New Zealand.

1. Virat Kohli – 61* Tests

Any appreciation of Virat Kohli would fell short for the manner he has picked up a team, which sat on the 7th position of the ICC Test team rankings and put it on top of the world. Apart from being the holder of multiple ICC Test maces for finishing at the top of the rankings, Kohli has built a cartel of fast bowlers, unprecedented in Indian cricket’s history.

The pitches in India, not just in international Tests, but in domestic cricket as well, have now moved fairly away from the traditional spin-friendly ones to the ones that now provide ample assistance to the pacers. That philosophy has helped India win two-Test series in Australia, first with the first-choice pacers in 2018/19 and then with an inexperienced group in 2020/21.

While captaining in the WTC Final versus New Zealand, Kohli has become the most capped captain of India. He has now led the side in 61 Tests and emerged victorious in 36 – the best for any Indian skipper – of the previous 60. As a captain, Kohli’s of 59.01 is the best for those who have captained the country in at least 10 Tests.

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