List of bowlers who captained India in Tests

Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah is once again taking on the role of skipper at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This is Bumrah’s third game as Test captain. If we see his last two game during which he has won one match, while the other did not produce a result. His win as captain came recently in the Perth Test when Rohit Sharma took a break due to personal reasons. In his debut as captain, Bumrah delivered the result India wanted.

However, when Sharma returned to lead in the last three games, he lost two of them, one in Adelaide and the other in Melbourne, while his batting form also fell short of expectations. On the other hand, Bumrah is currently ruling the Australian grounds with the ball. He is the highest wicket-taker with 30 scalps and is now leading the team with precision.

Although this isn’t the first time an Indian bowler has captained the team. While India hasn’t had many bowlers leading the pack, there are a few who not only led but also achieved great success. Take a look at the list of Indian bowlers who captained India in Tests.

List of bowlers who captained India in Tests

Player	Captaincy Period	Matches as Captain	Wins	Losses	Draws
Ghulam Ahmed	1955-1958	3	0	2	1
Srinivas Venkataraghavan	1974-1979	5	0	2	3
Bishan Singh Bedi	1975-1979	22	6	11	5
Kapil Dev	1982-1987	34	4	7	23
Anil Kumble	2007-2008	14	3	5	6

It was mostly spinners who led India in Test matches, apart from the exception of Kapil Dev. Looking at the bowlers who captained India, it started with the quality off-spinner Ghulam Ahmed. His stint as captain lasted three matches, played against two teams — one against New Zealand and the other against the mighty West Indies, who were giants at that point.

Although he didn’t make much of an impact as a leader, the best result under him was a draw against the Kiwis. As a bowler, he was exceptional, claiming 68 wickets in just 22 games.

Another name etched in golden letters in cricket history is Bishan Singh Bedi, who was part of the famous spin quartet. Under his leadership, the team played 22 games, winning six and losing 11. Bedi brought a never-give-up attitude to the team. Srinivas Venkataraghavan also captained India, but unfortunately, he couldn’t achieve notable results during his tenure

Kapil Dev

No one can forget the contribution of the 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, who is highly regarded as one of the finest captains in white-ball cricket. Unfortunately, his captaincy in Test cricket didn’t deliver many results. Kapil led India in 34 Test matches at different periods, from 1982 to 1987. While the team didn’t lose many games under him, they managed only four wins. Twenty-three Tests ended in draws, and seven resulted in losses.

Anil Kumble

Lastly, Anil Kumble was the last Indian bowler to captain India in a Test match before Bumrah. Highly regarded as a bowler, Kumble took 619 wickets in 132 games for the country. He led India in 14 Tests from 2007 to 2008. During his tenure, India won three Tests, lost five, and drew six. His most memorable win as captain came in Perth during the 2007-08 tour of Australia

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