Winning Percentage Of Indian Captains In ODIs (Minimum 20 Matches) 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India took everyone by surprise, on Thursday, after announcing that Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian Cricket Team in both T2oIs and ODIs going forward. India will now have two separate captains for two different formats. While Virat Kohli continues to be the captain in Test ball cricket, Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian Cricket Team in the ODIs and T20 internationals.

“The All-India Senior Selection Committee also decided to name Mr Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the ODI & T20I teams going forward,” the BCCI tweeted on Thursday.

Earlier this year, Virat Kohli stated that he would no longer lead the Indian Cricket Team in T20Is after the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Rohit Sharma was made the new captain in the shortest format after the perennial tournament. He led the team in the recently concluded T20 series against New Zealand. However, Virat Kohli expressed his desire to lead the Indian team in the 50-over cricket till the 2023 World Cup.

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Therefore, BCCI’s decision to make Rohit Sharma the captain in both the formats of white-ball cricket surprised one and all. Rohit Sharma’s second innings as captain of the Indian Cricket Team across formats in white-ball cricket has begun. He is set to lead the team in the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa.

It will be interesting to see how he performs as a leader, especially with three ICC World Cups coming in the next three years. In this article, we take a look at the top 5 Indian captains with the most win percentage with a minimum of 20 matches.

Winning Percentage Of Indian Captains In ODIs (Minimum 20 Matches)

1. Virat Kohli: 68%

Perhaps, everybody knows that Virat Kohli wanted to lead the Indian Cricket Team in the 50-over format till the 2023 World Cup. And that is why BCCI’s decision to replace him with Rohit Sharma in ODIs received a lot of criticism. His record in ODI cricket is nothing short of sensational.

Under his leadership, India performed admirably in the 2019 World Cup but unfortunately, they lost to New Zealand in the semi-final. He might have not won an ICC World Cup but helped India win a plethora of bilateral series not only in India but overseas as well.

Amongst all the Indian captains in the history of Indian Cricket, Virat Kohli has the best record in terms of win percentage in ODIs. Virat Kohli led Indian Team in 95 ODIs and registered victories on 65 occasions. Under him, India won 15 bilateral series out of 19, which includes series wins in South Africa, Australia, and West Indies.

Notably, Virat Kohli has a win percentage of 68 in ODIs as captain (minimum 20 matches), the most by any Indian Cricket Team captain.

2. MS Dhoni: 55%

Former Indian legendary cricketer, MS Dhoni is regarded as India’s greatest captain in the history of Indian Cricket. He is the only captain in the cricketing history to have won all three ICC trophies. Under his leadership, India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, followed by a 50-over World Cup in 2011. MS Dhoni then led India to win the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Notably, India have never won an ICC Trophy since.

There is no denying the fact that MS Dhoni took Indian Cricket to great heights. He elevated India’s fitness standards and helped the country win bilateral series not only at home but also overseas.

In terms of win percentage by an Indian captain in ODIs (minimum 20 matches), MS Dhoni sits second on the list with a win percentage of 55.

3. Rahul Dravid: 53%

At number three in the list is former Indian skipper and current Indian head coach, Rahul Dravid. Dravid is counted amongst the greatest players to have ever played the game. He represented the Indian Cricket Team in all formats and made a plethora of runs for India.

Rahul Dravid took over the captaincy duties when Indian Cricket was in turmoil. Following the fallout between Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell, the former was relieved from the captaincy duties. Between 2005 and 2007, Rahul Dravid led team India for a short period.

Not a lot of people hail Dravid’s captaincy in white-ball cricket as much as they should. Under him, India won several ODI series, including the ones overseas. After taking over the captaincy duties from Ganguly, Rahul Dravid led India in 79 ODIs, winning 42 matches. He has a win percentage of 53 per cent as an Indian captain in ODIs (minimum 20 matches).

4. Kapil Dev: 52 %

India put their name on the cricket map and reached great heights under his leadership. Besides, he was also a terrific all-rounder and is, in fact, regarded as India’s greatest all-rounder to date. After playing an astonishing 175-run knock against Zimbabwe in the ICC 1983 World Cup, he became the first Indian cricketer to score a century in an ICC event.

Under his leadership, India registered 39 wins in 74 ODIs. He boasts of a win percentage of 52 as captain (minimum 20 matches).

5. Sourav Ganguly: 52%

Former Indian cricketer, Sourav Ganguly was known for his aggressiveness and fearless attitude. He instilled the habit of playing fearless cricket under his reign in Indian Cricket. Sourav Ganguly is counted amongst the greatest captains ever to lead the Indian Cricket Team. Under his leadership, India registered special wins both in ODIs as well as Test Cricket. He took over as captain in the year 2000 and took India to great heights.

The Natwest Trophy win and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 remain the highlights of his captaincy career. Under him, India also reached the final of the ICC World Cup 2003. Sourav Ganguly is fifth on the list in terms of win percentage in ODIs. India won 76 matches out of 146 under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership. He boasts of a win percentage of 52 as captain in ODIs (minimum 20 matches).