India’s landmark ‘500th Test match’ to be played against New Zealand in Kanpur from September 22 shall witness former Indian Test captains being facilitated by the BCCI. Since their inception into Test cricket, the Indians have slowly but surely progressed from being minnows to a formidable side in top flight cricket.
There have been many men who led the Indian test team with distinction but we have chosen the top five test captains based on their overall winning record.
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Calm and cool in his demeanor, M S Dhoni turned India into an impregnable fortress at home and made them the number one Test side in the world. Dhoni became the most successful Indian Test captain when he eclipsed Sourav Ganguly’s record of 21 victories from 49 Tests. He led India in 60 Tests with 27 wins and an impressive win percentage of 45 %.
3. Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin was the skipper of the Indian team for most of the 1990s. Azhar had an impressive captaincy record in sub-continent conditions. He captained the team with distinction in 49 test matches, out of which the Indian side won 14 matches.
4. Sunil Gavaskar
‘Little Master’ Sunil Gavaskar captained the Indian team on several occasions in the late 70's and early 80s. Kapil Dev emerged as a leading pace bowler for the country during his captaincy. He led India to nine victories and eight losses, but most of the games during his stint as skipper were drawn.
5.Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Much like his personality, 'Tiger' Pataudi has a touch of class about his captaincy. ‘Tiger’ Pataudi was captain of the Indian cricket team in 40 of his 46 matches. The Indians could notch up 9 wins in his stint as a captain. However his victories included India's first ever Test match win on overseas soil against New Zealand in 1968.
