Top 5 Most Successful Captains in India Including All Formats: ODI, T20I & Test 2025

Throughout the years, there have been different captains who have led the Indian Cricket team to countless memorable moments that earned them immense love and support from the fans. There have many great Indian cricketers who have put their name in the history book with their unmatched legacy and records that are still untouched by the players of the current generation. However, when it comes to captaincy, not everyone has the abilities to lead the team, also contributing as a player. 

There have been many cricketers who are considered as legends of the game but they haven’t been able to make their mark as a captain. Leading an Indian Cricket Team comes with a big responsibility as the captain of the National team carries a burden of high hopes from the fans and the media. Not every player can handle the captaincy pressure as it sometimes also affect the performance of the player. 

Former Indian Cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, who is regarded as the God of Cricket for his remarkable career, was appointed as the captain of the Indian Cricket team in August 1996. However, his captaincy stint couldn’t last as long as his memorable career, as he decided to step down from the role after a Home Test series loss to South Africa in 2000. Tendulkar couldn’t do wonders for India as a captain like he did with his bat, instead, his batting performance was also affected due to captaincy making him step down from the role.

Top 5 Most Successful Captains of Indian Cricket Team

The role of the captain becomes crucial in a team game like cricket where one person leading a National Cricket Team has to find an alternate to win the match from a critical situation. The captain’s role is not limited to the cricket field, but he is also responsible for bringing out the best from the players and back them during their lean phase.

There are a few Indian captains who have been able to absorb the pressure and led India to memorable victories in critical situations. Let’s have a look at the Top 5 most Succesfull Indian Captains of all time. 

5. Rohit Sharma

After getting appointed as the vice-captain and a deputy to Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma wasn’t being considered as a full-time captain of the Indian cricket team and used to take charge as the skipper in Kohli’s absence most of the times. However, things changed after Kohli’s controversial exit as the skipper from all formats of the game in 2022. Rohit became the all-time skipper and led India to several memorable victories. Under his captaincy, India reached their fourth ODI World Cup final in 2023. He has also led the Indian team to the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup and the final of the  2021-23 World Test Championship. Apart from that, Rohit led India to the Asia Cup title twice and became the second Indian captain after MS Dhoni to draw a Test Series in South Africa. After getting so close to his maiden ICC title as captain during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rohit has got another chance to add glory to his name in the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA. He first led the Indian in 2017, while he became the full-time captain in 2022.

4. Kapil Dev 

Former Indian Captain Kapil Dev will always have a special place in the hearts of Indian Cricket fans. He led the underdog Indian team to the historic 1983 World Cup victory that started the  immense craze for the sport in the country. India were not seen as an underdogs against strong teams. He is also the youngest Indian captain to win a World Cup final at the age of 24 years. Kapil has been a captain of the Indian team from 1982 to 1987 and is regarded as one of the most successful Indian captains with 43 wins from 108 matches across all formats. 

3. Sourav Ganguly

One of the most fearless captains of the Indian cricket team, Sourav Ganguly was appointed as the skipper of the National team after Sachin Tendulkar stepped down from the role after a home Test series loss against South Africa in 2001. He was kind of a captain who is known for instilling an fearless and aggressive approach in Indian cricket. His aggressive captaincy style can be seen in a way he led India to several memorable victories, with one coming against England in the Natwest final at Lords in 2005, where Ganguly came up with his iconic shirtless celebration after India won a thriller. Under Ganguly’s captaincy, India qualified for their second World Cup final in 2003. Apart from that, he also led India to the final of the Champions Trophy in 2000 and 2002 respectively. In 2000, India lost the final to New Zealand, while in 2002, the trophy was shared between India and Sri Lanka after the final was spoiled with rain. Ganguly led the Indian cricket team from 1999 to 2005 winning 97 out of 195 matches across formats. 

2. Virat Kohli

As Sourav Ganguly instilled a fearless and aggressive approach in Indian cricket, Virat Kohli is known for taking it to the next-level during his captaincy tenure. After taking up Test Captaincy due to MS Dhoni’s shocking retirement from the format in December 2014, Kohli went on to become full-time all-format captain in January 2017, with Dhoni stepping down and continuing as a player. One of the greatest batsmen of the current era, Kohli also proved to be a great captain under whom the Indian team became a force to be reckoned with. He is considered as the best Test captain of India for taking India to new heights in the longest. The Indian Test was almost unbeatable at home under Kohli, while he also led Men in Blue to several memorable victories overseas, including their maiden Test Series win in Australia. He has also most Test victories (2) by an Indian skipper in South Africa. Kohli was kind of a captain who never settled for a draw. One of the best examples of his leadership can be seen in India’s iconic 2021 Lords Test victory. 

Not only in Tests, Kohli also excelled as captain in limited overs cricket and made a side to be reckoned with in India and overseas. He became the first Indian captain to win a ODI Series in South Africa in 2018. Apart from that, he is also the only Indian skipper to win a T20I series in every SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) country. Talking about his captaincy records at ICC events, Kohli has led India to the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy, semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup, and the final of the 2019-21 World Test Championship. His captaincy tenure came to an end after a Test series loss in South Africa in January 2022. India have won 135 out of 213 under his captaincy across all formats. 

1. MS Dhoni 

Arguably, the best captain India ever had, MS Dhoni was known for his cool and calm approach even in the pressure situation and has led India to several iconic moments. He was first given the role of the skipper during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, after all the seniors decided to withdraw from the tournament, and led the underdog Indian side to the title. Dhoni continued to do wonders for India by leading the country to their second 2011 ODI World Cup title after 28 years, and finally completed his trophy cabinet with the 2013 Champions Trophy. However, Dhoni’s captaincy excellence cannot be measured just by the number of ICC trophies. With his presence of mind and great statistical approach, he has guided India to several memorable victories from the jaws of defeat. He led India 178 victories from 332 matches across all formats from 2007 to 2016.

Most Successful Indian Captains Across Formats 

Most Successful Test Captain of India

Most Successful ODI Captain of India

Most Successful T20I Captain of India

Indian Captains to Play ICC Final 

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