Cricket is easily the most popular and loved sport in the country and it has had decades worth of a cult following. Within this history, there have been countless impressive performances from Indian cricket players, and out of these, Indian cricket captains over the decades have left the deepest impressions on Indian cricket history.
From Kapil Dev to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India has produced exceptional cricket captains over the years, whose performances have brought immense glory to the country and made us one of the most prolific cricket teams in the world.
Therefore, in this article, we have decided to recognize and talk about the careers of the five greatest Indian cricket team captains in history. Of course, there were many more cricketers that we couldn’t include in this list but that doesn’t make them any less impressive!
Note: This list is not ranked!
1. Rahul Dravid
Career: 1996 - 2012
Rahul Dravid is known for his outstanding batting technique and is also known for being one of the most dependable cricket players in Indian history, which also earned him the nickname, “The Wall”.
Rahul Dravid also gained widespread recognition for his steady captaincy, under which he led the Indian team to a few memorable victories, especially in test series.
2. Mohammad Azharuddin
Career: 1984 - 2000
While many people remember Mohammad Azharuddin for his controversial ban from cricket due to a match-fixing scandal, he was in fact, one of the most successful Indian cricket captains. With 90 ODIs wins and 14 test series wins, Azharuddin led the Indian cricket team through many impressive performances. In fact, his 14 test wins were a record until he was beaten by Sourav Ganguly, who had 21 test wins in his career as the cricket captain.
3. Kapil Dev
Career: 1978 - 1994
Kapil Dev is an undeniable legend in the books of Indian cricket history. He was the first cricket captain to lead the Indian team to victory in the historic 1983 Cricket World Cup. Kapil Dev is also known as one of the best all-rounder players in the world.
Kapil Dev was also named the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002 by Wisden. Kapil Dev has also been appreciated by fellow cricketer and former cricket captain, Sunil Gavaskar, who remarked that Dev is one of the best all-rounders in Indian cricket.
4. Sourav Ganguly
Career: 1992 - 2008
Who can forget our beloved Dada, who was perhaps one of the most amazing players to have ever captained the Indian cricket team? Sourav Ganguly had an impressive track record of wins under his leadership - with 21 test victories and 76 ODI wins.
Ganguly was a left-handed batsman who was especially good at his off-side play, which earned him another nickname, “The God of the Offside”.
5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Career: 2004 - 2019
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the best cricketers as well as captains in the country. Also known lovingly as “Mahi”, Dhoni led the Indian cricket team to win three ICC trophies. He has also been the long-term captain of the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
Even now, Dhoni remains a favorite during the IPL, with most Indian betting sites supporting his performance with extremely high odds.
