5 Indian Captains Who Have Most Number Of Away Wins In Test Cricket: No matter how successful you are in the shorter version of the game, Test cricket is altogether a far cry from the other versions of the sport which tests your resilience, patience, and most enduringly your character. You need to blend all of these facets in the most perfect proportions, to scale greater heights in the game.
The spotlight seems even more glaring when you are the captain. Every single move of yours is being dissected under the lens and is subjective to hefty scrutiny before calling it a good one. Indian captains always had a tough time winning abroad. In fact, before 2000, it was a myth that Indians could even win outside their home turf in Test cricket.
Things changed, however, as the Indian captains inculcated a different mentality in their players, which probably was a seed of belligerence that always lacked in the most docile submissions outside the nation in the longest format of the game. We will look at the five most successful captains of India with the best winning records overseas in Test cricket.
1. Virat Kohli
Belting out a masterclass against an ailing West Indies, Kohli went past Saurav Ganguly’s incredible record of the highest number of victories abroad in Test cricket. He registered 12 victories from only 26 games wherein Saurav Ganguly needed 28 to chronicle 11 wins.
The team at the behest of the run-machine is probably one of the finest Indian cricket teams at the moment with every single position having at least 2 to 3 options. With the current rate of success tasted by the India team, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kohli goes on to record another 10 to 12 more victories in his kitty.
2. Sourav Ganguly
Ushering India from one of its darkest and most deprave phases in cricketing history to glorious days of the sport that challenged the might of Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and others, Ganguly ushered the team to a new sphere.
Leading the team to a whopping 11 victories from 28 games abroad, he showed it to the posterity of Indian cricket that courage, discipline, and a never-give-up attitude can take you to places that you cannot even imagine in your wildest dreams.
3. MS Dhoni
Dhoni has definitely been a legend in the Indian ranks with the bat, behind the stumps, and also as a leader. A major challenge that Dhoni has faced is his caps as a leader outside India. In fact, Team India has fared in probably the most pathetic fashion you can ever contemplate.
This was due to the lack of confidence and also a lot of experiments that were carried out to accommodate the perfect players. Despite not boasting of a very perfect record as a Test captain abroad, he still is third in the list as he managed to win 6 out of 30 matches in which he led the team overseas.
4. Rahul Dravid
The wall of India was a substantial leader himself, however, he couldn’t really proliferate as a skipper because of the limited resources at his behest. However, the number of matches that he went on to lead Team India abroad was relatively much lower than the aforementioned captains.
Out of the 17 tests that he went on to lead the team in, India recorded 5 victories away from home.
5. MAK Pataudi
One of the most dashing personalities of Indian cricket, the nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who was also the father of famous Bollywood actor, Saif Ali Khan, found himself in this prestigious list with 3 victories from the 13 games that he led his team in away from home.
He played cricket with just one eye as his other one was damaged. His aggressive stance laced with some handsome elegance earned him the imposing title of Tiger Ali Khan Pataudi.
