T20 World Cup: 7 captains who have led India to victory in World Cup – Team India will kick off their T20 World Cup when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan this weekend. The Men in Blue, led by Virat Kohli will be hoping to win their first World Cup title in 10 years, following their epic 2011 title at home. The drought stretches to 14 years in the T20 World Cup, with India having won the inaugural edition of the tournament. The competition will mark India’s first T20 World Cup campaign under a new captain, with MS Dhoni having led the side in all previous editions.
Here, Insidesport.in looks at seven Indian captains who have led the side to a win in the World Cup
T20 World Cup: 7 captains who have led India to victory in World Cup – Check out
India played the first two World Cups in the 1970s under the captaincy of Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan. In the Inaugural World Cup, India defeated East Africa which was their only win in the two World Cups, with group stage exits in both tournaments.
Kapil Dev was the captain during the 1983 World Cup, and he led India to an unlikely win, marking India’s first success at the World Cup. The legendary all-rounder was also the captain in the 1987 edition, where India reached the semi-final where they lost to eventual champions England. In 15 games at the World Cup, Dev led India to 11 wins.
T20 World Cup: 7 captains who have led India to victory in World Cup – Check out
Mohammed Azharuddin took over the reins from Kapil Dev and was the captain for the next three World Cup campaigns, the most by an Indian captain. India exited in the round-robin stage in 1992, before yet another semi-final exit in 1996, before a humiliating Group Stage exit in 1999. In 23 games, Azharuddin led India to 10 wins, with 12 losses.
Sourav Ganguly was the Indian captain at the 2003 edition, as India reached the final in South Africa. Under Ganguly, the Men in Blue just two games including the final, with both of those defeats coming against the legendary Australian team. He holds the record for the most wins by a captain in a single edition of the World Cup.
2007 was a disaster for India under Rahul Dravid, as the team exited the competition in the group stage, winning just one game of the three in the initial rounds. The win came against Bermuda, with India scoring a record 413, their highest total in World Cups, a record that still stands.
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T20 World Cup: 7 captains who have led India to victory in World Cup – Check out
MS Dhoni led India in the 2011 edition, with the Men in Blue winning the World Cup after 28 years in Mumbai. He was also the captain in the 2015 edition, with India crashing out in the semi-final to Australia. In 17 matches at the World Cup under MS Dhoni, India have lost only two games, while one game ended in a tie.
Virat Kohli was the seventh and the latest captain to lead India in a World Cup, during the 2019 edition of the 50-over World Cup. The Men in Blue reached the semi-final yet again but failed to get past New Zealand. Under Kohli, India won seven of their 10 games, with two losses and a no result.
Record of Indian captains at 50-over World Cup
| Year | Round | Games | Won | Tied/No result | Lost | Captain |
| 1975 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | S Venkataraghavan |
| 1979 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | S Venkataraghavan |
| 1983 | Champions | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | Kapil Dev |
| 1987 | Semi-finals | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | Kapil Dev |
| 1992 | Round-robin stage | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | M Azharuddin |
| 1996 | Semi-finals | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | M Azharuddin |
| 1999 | Super Six | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | M Azharuddin |
| 2003 | Runners-up | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | Sourav Ganguly |
| 2007 | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | Rahul Dravid |
| 2011 | Champions | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | MS Dhoni |
| 2015 | Semi-finals | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | MS Dhoni |
| 2019 | Semi-finals | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | Virat Kohli |
Virat Kohli only second captain to lead India at T20 World Cup
The 2021 T20 World will mark the first time that MS Dhoni will not be the captain of the Indian team. Under Dhoni, India claimed the title in 2007, before second-round exits in three consecutive editions. The Men in Blue reached the final in 2014, losing out to Sri Lanka, while were knocked out by West Indies in the 2016 semi-final.
| Matches | Wins | Losses | Tie | NR | Win per cent | |
| India under Dhoni in T20 WC | 33 | 20 | 11 | 1(1) | 1 | 64.06 |
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