India played it’s first Test match in June 1932, when the national team traveled to the Lord’s stadium to face England. The team was led by C. K. Nayudu, who became the first captain of the team. Over the years, as many as 36 players have captained India in the Test format, 27 players have captained the ODI team, and 14 players have helmed the T20 team.
While there are different yardsticks to measure how successful a captain has been during his tenure, let’s first delve into the numbers
Most successful Test captain

India has seen some great Test captins including the likes of MAK Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, and Mohammad Azharuddin but no one comes close to Virat Kohli in terms of number of matches won.
Virat Kohli: No One Else Comes Close
Kohli has captained the side in 68 Test matches and has won 40 of them, making him the most successful captain in terms of numbers as well as win percentage (players who have been a captain for 7 or more matches).
The aggression and passion that Virat Kohli brought to the team is unmatched and he was one of the key players who turned India into a Test powerhouse.
If we look at the top 5 captains with most wins for India in Test matches, the list is comprised of India players from a modern era.
Player | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Win % |
V Kohli | 2014-2022 | 68 | 40 | 17 | 58.82 |
MS Dhoni | 2008-2014 | 60 | 27 | 18 | 45.00 |
SC Ganguly | 2000-2005 | 49 | 21 | 13 | 42.85 |
M Azharuddin | 1990-1999 | 47 | 14 | 14 | 29.78 |
RG Sharma | 2022-2024 | 24 | 12 | 9 | 50.00 |
While this table is impressive on its own, we don’t think it captures the real contribution of Virat Kohli to Indian cricket as Test Captain. He was the first Indian captain that believed India could not only compete while tarvelling abroad but also win matches and series.
He did not make excuses about the pitches and believed fighting fire with fire. One memorable instance was in South Africa 2018 in Johannesburg when the pitch was considered to be so dangerous that there was serious talk of abandonment.
Interestingly, the Indian players were adamant that the match should continue while the South Africans were looking to walk away!
Here is a look at India’s most successful Test captains with home and away wins segregated.
Player | Span | Matches | Won | Home Wins | Away Wins | Lost | Win % |
V Kohli | 2014-2022 | 68 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 17 | 58.82 |
MS Dhoni | 2008-2014 | 60 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 18 | 45.00 |
SC Ganguly | 2000-2005 | 49 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 42.85 |
M Azharuddin | 1990-1999 | 47 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 29.78 |
RG Sharma | 2022-2024 | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 50.00 |
As far as Test matches go, there is no doubt in our mind that Virat Kohli is the greatest captain that India ever had.
Most successful ODI captain
The ODI format was introduced in the late 1970s and quickly gained popularity thanks to its colored uniforms and night-time games. Over the years, India has seen some excellent ODI captains like Saurav Ganguly, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid.
Player | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Win % |
MS Dhoni | 2007-2018 | 200 | 110 | 74 | 55.00 |
M Azharuddin | 1990-1999 | 174 | 90 | 76 | 51.72 |
SC Ganguly | 1999-2005 | 146 | 76 | 65 | 52.05 |
V Kohli | 2013-2021 | 95 | 65 | 27 | 68.42 |
R Dravid | 2000-2007 | 79 | 42 | 33 | 53.16 |
RG Sharma | 2017-2024 | 48 | 34 | 12 | 70.83 |
SR Tendulkar | 1996-2000 | 73 | 23 | 43 | 31.50 |
Kapil Dev led India to its first ODI World Cup win in 1983 and captured the imagination of millions of fans across the globe. No one can argue the importance of the 1983 win in the World Cup as being a pivotal moment for Indian cricket, and even cricket as a whole.
Does that make Kapil Dev the greatest ODI captain for India?
We don’t think so. He simply does not have enough wins to his name in the format over a long enough period of time.
Mohammad Azharuddin can probably lay claim to being one of India’s better ODI captains and with 90 wins, he certainly had an impact. However, he never won a major ICC Trophy and also lost a lot of face by being embroiled in the match-fixing controversy.
Saurav Ganguly is the captain that first gave India a backbone. He helped develop players like Sehwag, Zaheer, Yuvraj, Kaif, and so many more. He led India to a 2003 World Cup Final and left India in a stronger position than when he started.
Undoubtedly, Saurav Ganguly is one of the best captains that India has had and perhaps, for many, India’s no 1 captain in cricket.
MS Dhoni: Best ODI Captain for India
The record of MS Dhoni in the 50-over format remains unparalleled. Dhoni captained the Men in Blue in 200 matches, winning 110 of them and making him the most successful ODI captain in terms of number of matches won.
It is not just the numbers, though. Dhoni was at his best as player and as captain in the ODI format. He had the time necessary to play the situation and take the game deep. The World Cup victory in 2011, Champions Trophy victory in 2012, and an almost unparalleled record at home makes MS Dhoni the clear winner in this regard.
If we look at the percentage, Rohit Sharma, the incumbent ODI captain, stands tall with 34 victories in 48 games and a win percentage of 70.83. That makes Rohit Sharma the most successful captain in India but we don’t think that is enough to overtake Dhoni.
Most successful T20 captain
With the beginning of the T20 format, and especially the IPL, the popularity of cricket has skyrocketed even in countries where fans traditionally followed other sports. The glitz, the glamour, and the dizzying speed of gameplay has made it a fan favorite and it is now the most popular among all the 3 formats.
This is also the format that is the most unpredictable and so a sustained run of successful results has to be taken seriously.
Player | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Win % |
RG Sharma | 2017-2024 | 62 | 49 | 12 | 79.03 |
SA Yadav | 2023-2025 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 77.77 |
MS Dhoni | 2007-2016 | 72 | 41 | 28 | 56.94 |
V Kohli | 2017-2021 | 50 | 30 | 16 | 60.00 |
HH Pandya | 2022-2023 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 62.50 |
Once again, Rohit Sharma shines as the most successful Indian captain, winning 49 of his 62 matches. His win percentage is 79.03, which is also the best among players who have captained the team for more than 5 matches.
Here is the thing, though. While Rohit Sharma’s number are phenomenal, his most important contribution might be changing the mindset of the Indian players in the T20 format. Before Sharma, India used to play T20 cricket as a compressed version of ODI cricket.
It has been Rohit Sharma that has pushed the team to adopt the modern method of playing and led the way from the front. The fact that this resulted in a T20 World Cup win in 2024 (after a wait of nearly 12 years) cannot be understated either.
Rohit Sharma stands head and shoulders above any other Indian captain in the T20 format. Suryakumar Yadav has started very well but whether he is able to keep that sort of consistency and success for a long enough period of time remains to be seen.
Most successful captain overall
When we take a step back and look across formats, MS Dhoni stands out as the most consistent captain in terms of delivering victories. Dhoni has captained the team in 332 matches across formats, which is the most by any Indian player. Out of that, he has won 178 games, which is also the most by any Indian captain.
Most successful captains in terms of ICC tournaments
While individual matches and bilateral series’ are important in determining the grit and determination of a team, winning an ICC tournament is the ultimate goal for any captain as they are considered to be the most prestigious in the world of cricket.
After Kapil Dev won the ODI World Cup in 1983, India has to wait for close to 20 years before it got its hands on another ICC trophy, which was the 2002 Champions Trophy won jointly by India and Sri Lanka. And since then, India has gone from strength to strength and has won a total of 6 trophies.
MS Dhoni is India’s most successful captain when it comes to winning the ICC trophies. He has won 3 tournaments in his 11 years as the captain. India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 in his very first stint as a captain. India then went on to win the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy under his leadership. Till date, Dhoni remains the only captain to win three different ICC tournaments in the limited-overs format.
Other than Dhoni, 3 Indian captains have brought home ICC silverware, with Kapil Dev winning the 1983 ODI World Cup, Sourav Ganguly winning the 2002 Champions Trophy, and Rohit Sharma winning the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
Conclusion
As seen here, India has produced some great captains in the past years who have taken Indian cricket to unprecedented heights. The current national team is in a phase of transition and we are going to see the mantle of the team getting passed to youngsters who have shown good leadership skills.
Suryakumar Yadav has recently taken over as India’s captain in the T20 format and has won 14 out of his 18 games. Given his recent success and tactical acumen, making a match prediction in T20 cricket has become a lot easier!
With Rohit Sharma nearing his retirement in the longest format, Jasprit Bumrah has emerged a s front-runner to take over the baton from him. He led India to a memorable win in the first match of the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy and has the potential to make India a red-ball powerhouse.