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A captain plays a crucial role for the team in the game of cricket. The decisions taken by the captain turn out to be the deciding factor in the game that could either go to the team’s benefit or become one of the reasons for the team’s defeat. Along with this, the style of captaincy is also crucial, and different captains have a different of leading the team. The captain’s approach also plays a crucial role in constructing the environment of the team, and how the team take on the opponents.
Some captains usually prefer to stay cool and calm in every situation of the game, even when things are not going their way. One of the biggest examples of this is the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who is known for his cool nature even during the pressure situations of the game. Some captains are known for their aggressive nature and attitude to win the game for their country in every condition. There have been players who are have ruled over the cricketing world with their aggressive and attacking style of captaincy. In this article, we will have a look at the top five aggressive captains in cricket history.
List Of Most Aggressive Captains in Cricket
5. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
Imran Khan is one of the legendary captains of Pakistan under whom Pakistan became of the toughest teams to reckon with in the decade of the 90s. He led Pakistan to the World Cup triumph in 1992, which is still regarded as the greatest moment in Pakistan cricket history. Pakistan became a fast-bowling powerhouse under Khan’s stint with legendary pacers like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis who honed their skills under him and went on to terrorize batters with their pace and bounce. Apart from captaincy, Khan was also one of the most dangerous fast bowlers who could also score quick runs with the bat. He has played 88 Tests and 175 ODI matches with 362 wickets in Test, and 182 scalps in the shorter format.
4. Steve Waugh (Australia)
Steve Waugh is regarded as one of the best captains of the Australian team who made Australia a force to reckon with, which could dominate any team in any part of the World. Under his captaincy, Australia clinched the World Cup title for the second time in 1999. Waugh was the type of captain who could take down any team in the world not just with his captaincy but also with the ‘war of words.’ He played a crucial role in instilling an aggressive spirit in the Australian team that made them a cricketing powerhouse for more than a decade. Waugh has played 168 Tests for Australia amassing 10927 runs along with 7569 runs in 325 ODI matches.
3. Sourav Ganguly (India)
Sourav Ganguly has been the kind of captain who instilled a fearless and aggressive approach in the Indian team. He was a captain who led from the front on many occasions and instilled fear in the opposition with his style of leading the Indian team. His iconic shirtless celebration at the Lords balcony after India won the Nat West series was enough to show the energy and environment of the team under his stint. He led India to the final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup where they lost against Australia. Ganguly has played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for India scoring 7212 runs and 11363 runs respectively.
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2. Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Ricky Ponting is regarded as undoubtedly the best-ever captain in the history of cricket. He made Australia what they were in the decade of 2000s. He made Australia an invincible side that was almost difficult to defeat in any corner of the world. The Kangaroos were ruling the cricketing world under Ponting’s stint who led the team to back-to-back ODI World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007 respectively. He is also the only captain who won the Champions Trophy twice in 2006 and 2009. He was a captain who also led from the front on many occasions including the 140-run knock in the 2003 World Cup final which helped Australia to defeat Indian by 125 runs and clinch the trophy for the third time. Ponting was also the skipper during the infamous ‘MonkeyGate’ incident in a Test match between Australia and India in Sydney in 2008. He has played 168 Tests for Australia with a whopping 13378 runs along with 13704 from 375 ODI matches.
1. Virat Kohli (India)
As Sourav Ganguly is known for instilling an aggressive approach in Indian cricket, Virat Kohli is the type of captain who took it to the next level during his stint. After MS Dhoni’s shocking announcement of retirement from red-ball cricket during the Test series in Australia in 2014, Kohli took over the role of the skipper and went on to script the sheer dominance of the Indian cricket team in the longest format. From winning a series in Sri Lanka after 22 years in 2015 to defeating a star-studded South African team that hadn’t lost a Test series outside home for the last nine years, Kohli showed everyone that his team is ready to take over the World. He led India to a historic Test series win in 2018 and kind of captain who also leads from the front with his bat and sets an example for others. Not only in Tests, Kohli built an Indian team that was a tough side to reckon with in the white ball format. From winning the ODI series in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, he is also the only Indian captain to win a T20I series in every SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) country including a historic white-wash in New Zealand by 5-0. He was a captain under whom India used to dominate the opponent in their backyard. His statement of ‘For 60 overs, they should feel hell out there’ during the iconic Lords Test between India and England in 2021 is enough to define Kohli as captain. Under his captaincy, India made it into the finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy, the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World, and the final of the 2019-21 Test Championship. Kohli is not the captain of India in any format now but continues to contribute with his bat.
