India’s 1000th ODI: Five most successful ODI captains – When India will take on West Indies on 6th February at Ahmedabad, it will not be any other random game from a bilateral series. It will be a moment of great pride and honour for the men in blue, as India will be playing their 1000th ODI game, becoming the first team to do so.
Under Ajit Wadekar’s captaincy, India played their first ODI match back in 1974, at Headingley against England. Though they lost the match, the likes of Wadkar, Brijesh Patel and Eknath Solkar paved the way for their predecessors to script history. Since then, the nation has been blessed with inspirational, unparalleled leaders who have worked diligently to take the team to newer heights.
India’s 1000th ODI: From Ganguly to Dhoni – India’s five most successful captains in ODI cricket
Check out India’s five most successful captains in ODI cricket ahead of India’s 1000th ODI:
- Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin took over captaincy in 1989, replacing Krishnamachari Srikkanth. He was at the helm for ten years, and while match-fixing allegations somewhat stained his reputation later on, he was certainly an inspirational leader during his tenure. India won 90 of the 174 ODI matches in his reign, with a win percentage of 53.57. Besides numerous, Azharuddin also helped the men in blue lift back-to-back Asia Cup titles in 1991 and 1995.
India’s 1000th ODI: From Ganguly to Dhoni – India’s five most successful captains in ODI cricket
- Sourav Ganguly
Many credit Sourav Ganguly for sowing the seeds of team that is as good on foreign soil as it is in India. He replaced Ajay Jadeja as the captain in 1999 and remained at the apex position till 2005. In these six years, India played 146 and emerged victoriously in 76 of those, maintaining a win percentage of 53.90. Ganguly led India to a famous NatWest trophy win in 2002, a Champions Trophy triumph in 2002, which was jointly with Sri Lanka, and an ICC Cricket World Cup final in 2003.
India’s 1000th ODI: From Ganguly to Dhoni – India’s five most successful captains in ODI cricket
- Kapil Dev
India had won a few remarkable ODI matches under Sunil Gavaskar’s captaincy, but it will be fair to say that Kapil Dev was the first great leader for the men in blue in this format. He led India in 74 ODI matches and won 39 of those, thereby maintaining a win percentage of 54.16. He was the captain of the Indian team from 1982 till 1992 and helped build a team that not only lifted the World Cup in 1983 but also scripted many other series wins.
India’s 1000th ODI: From Ganguly to Dhoni – India’s five most successful captains in ODI cricket
- Virat Kohli
Unlike Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli did not win any ICC trophy as a captain. That being said, his win percentage is the highest among all the leaders on this list. The Delhi lad had captaincy duties in 95 ODI matches and ended up winning 65 of them – almost 70% of the matches.
India’s 1000th ODI: From Ganguly to Dhoni – India’s five most successful captains in ODI cricket
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Kapil Dev won the World Cup as a captain, but not the Champions Trophy. Sourav Ganguly did get his hands on the Champions Trophy, but not on the World Cup or the Asia Cup. Mohammad Azharuddin lifted the Asia Cup, but not the World Cup and the Champions Trophy. The only Indian to have lifted all three trophies as a captain, among loads of others, is the most successful ODI captain of India – Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He was the captain of the men in blue in 200 ODIs, out of which he won 110 at a win percentage of 59.52.
India’s 1000th ODI: From Ganguly to Dhoni – India’s five most successful captains in ODI cricket
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