Analysis of Indian Cricket Team Captains | From CK Nayudu to Virat Kohli – The Exchange of Baton

Indian sports is home to numerous games that are equally encouraged and promoted like the game of cricket, which is one of the most desired and favored games in India. It has the largest followers across the world after the game of soccer. Thereby, cricket is the heartbeat of the Indian nation. From the past, a lot of great characters have led the Indian cricket team to enormous success. Be it the 1983 world cup or the 2011 world cup, Indian cricket team captains have proved their mettle on International turf a lot many times. Today, let’s study the exchange of baton of captaincy in the Indian cricket team and know more about Indian Cricket team captains.

Indian Cricket Team

The Indian Cricket Team is and has always been a group of remarkable and exceptionally talented people. To date, a total of 33 Indian cricket team captains have led the side and all were equally dexterous and gifted. CK Nayudu, being the first captain of India supervised the team in four matches against England and since then his name has been enshrined in the limelight of the Indian cricket team captains. Presently, the Indian Cricket team is being captained by none other than king Kohli, Virat Kohli. He succeeded MS Dhoni, who retired from Test cricket in December 2014, followed by his resignation as captain of ODI and T20 teams in 2017.

In addition, Kohli holds the record of as many as 37 test wins by an Indian cricket team captains, which is the highest in comparison to others. The world of cricket is astonishing and it captivates the heart of the Indians not only in India but worldwide. 

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Top Indian Cricket Team Captains

All the Indian cricket team captains have accomplished inequitable aspects and attained great heights in their career. They are the building stones of our nation, who inspire the youth to excel in the domain of sports. Their consistent hard work and the zeal to showcase their talent helps them to succeed even in the darkest times. They are unparalleled Indian superheroes. 

Indian cricket team captains: CK Nayudu

Indian cricket team first captain: He was born on 31st October, 1895 in Bara Bada Nagpur. He became the first man to captain the Indian cricket team in test matches. He top scored 40 innings and took nine wickets during his first match even after being injured. Cricket was not just a game for him, but it was his passion.

CK Nayudu Achievements

He made his first-class cricket debut in 1916 in the Bombay Triangular and further played 207 first-class matches, scoring 11,825 runs at an average of 35.94. He also fetched 411 wickets with his off-breaks besides which he has a record of hitting 26 centuries and 58 half-centuries. In 1926, his exhilarating innings were worthwhile with 153 runs in 116 minutes. Nayudu was also honored with Padma Bhushan in 1956 and an award was also named after him. He played his last first-class match and Ranji Trophy at the age of 62. He did wonders throughout his cricketing career. 

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Indian cricket team captains: Kapil Dev

The most phenomenal man of Indian cricket, Kapil Dev is a former Indian Cricketer, who captained India during 1983 and won the first Cricket World Cup title, which was a history in the making. Kapil dev was named as the Indian Cricketer of the century in 2002 by Wisden and gradually he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2010. He also coached the Indian national team for a course of one year, from September 1999 to September 2000. 

Kapil Dev Achievements

He was a record-breaker and overtook Sir Richard Hadlee’s record in early 1994 and became the highest Test Cricket wicket-taker in the world. Kapil had the most runs and innings without being run out. These are a few remarkable achievements among others and he was honored with several lifetime awards including Arjuna award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, and others. He is the benchmark in the history of Indian cricket. 

Indian cricket team captains: Mohammad Ahzruddin

The legendary icon, Ahzruddin was born on 8 February 1963 in Hyderabad and presently he is a politician and a former cricketer. He is one of the most notable captains of the Indian cricket team, who played 99 tests and 334 one-day matches for India. Ahzruddin was also the President of Hyderabad Cricket Association in 2019 and was an elected member of the Indian National Congress from Moradabad during 2009. He was famous for his wrist strokeplay. He made his first Test Debut in the Indian Cricket team at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 31st December 1984 and his performance was outstanding during his first game.

Mohammad Ahzruddin Achievements

Ahzruddin captained the Indian team in 47 Test matches and 174 One-day tournaments. His journey had brought laurels to the nation and his name has been inscribed in the books of fame and fortune. He was awarded the Arjuna award and Padma Shri for his glorious achievements. He was and still remains an inspiration for all the young seekers finding their way to establish a cricket career. 

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Sourav Ganguly

He is a versatile star of the cricket industry. Sourav Ganguly is not just a cricketer but an Indian Cricket administrator, commentator, and former captain of the Indian cricket team.  He is also the current and the 39th president of the Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI), elected in 2019, and former President of the Editorial Board with Wisden India. He succeeded Sachin Tendulkar as captain and the Indian team witnessed vital advancements during this course of time being captained by Ganguly and guided by John Wright. 

Sourav Ganguly Achievements

In the 1999 World Cup, he had been in a partnership of 318 runs with Rahul Dravid, which remains the highest partnership score in the World Cup Tournament history. He also supervised his team in 2003 as well as the 2007 World Cup. Moreover, he is the 8th highest run-scorer in One Day Internationals (ODI’s). He was honored with Padma Shri in 2004 and Banga Vibhushan Award from the West Bengal government on 20 May 2013. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The pearl amongst the pearls, Dhoni is a former Indian international cricketer, who has captained the Indian National team from 2007-2017 and Test cricket from 2008-2014. Captain extraordinary, is the Indian cricket team’s best captain who led India to three World titles and created a history in the making by breaking various records in the world of cricket. Undoubtedly, Maahi is the only cricket captain to win all ICC trophies. He made his ODI debut on 23rd December 2004 followed by his first test match a year later. MSD has been praised by many former cricketers for his prolific performance and character.

MS Dhoni Achievements

He has been presented with honorable awards including the ICC ODI Player of the Year, Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, and Padma Bhushan. Dhoni was also bestowed with the Honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Territorial army. He is an inspiration for the aspirants who are underestimated because according to Dhoni, every dream is achievable. 

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Virat Kohli

In 2008, an unknown boy accelerated to great heights and captained India’s Under-19. It was during this time that he achieved fame in the Under-19 World Cup at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and currently, he is the captain of the Indian National team as well as a leading right-handed batsman. Virat kohli joined the men in blue as soon as in August 2008 during the Indian ODI series in Sri Lanka and has been the most beloved cricketer since then.

The star of Indian cricket was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi and at the age of nine, he was drafted in the West Delhi Cricket Academy and he excelled in his performance steadily. He had played numerous matches fearlessly and during his years of captaincy, India was victorious in 19 test matches, beginning from a 3-0 series and ending with 2-1 series win over New Zealand and Australia respectively. In addition to the test matches, Kohli is one of the most prosperous test captains, having won more than 61% of the test matches. He is the present indian cricket team captain in ODI & Test cricket.

Virat Kohli Achievements

He made his first Test debut in 2011 and he also bagged a position of Man of the Tournament twice at the ICC World Twenty20 in 2014 and 2016. Other than this, he has been awarded Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy in 2017-18 and honored with awards like Arjuna Award in 2013, Padma Shri in 2017, and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2018 for his astonishing performance. He is one of the most influential people in the world and a role model of millions. 

Rohit Sharma

The legendary star was born on 30 April 1987 in Bansod, Maharashtra. He is an Indian international cricket player who captains Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and plays for Mumbai for domestic cricket. Rohit made his List A debut for West Zone against Central Zone in the Deodhar Trophy at Gwalior in 2005. He made the highest achievement in his career by scoring 309 and not out against Gujarat in the Ranji trophy.

As of today, he had played 381 international matches and scored 41 centuries. He has flourished in his form and career, which is going to change even further when he will succeed the current captain and be appointed as the new T20 captain after Virat Kohli. He holds the record of highest individual score of 264 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens Kolkata by a batsman, playing in a one-day international match on 13 November 2014. More exclusively, he is the only cricketer to have scored three double centuries in international cricket. He was also titled the ODI player of the year 2020 by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Besides which he is the only player to have scored 500 in a single edition in the World cup history.

Rohit Sharma Achievements

Sharma has also been awarded Arjuna award and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2015 and 2020 respectively. Despite his outstanding performance in cricket, he is also an active member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a social worker, which makes him more prominent in his character. 

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All the legends, once a novice 

Indian Cricket has had the most outstanding and exceptionally talented players in the history, who have set an example for the larger audience to thrive in the domain of sports. Cricket is a highly lucrative game with much greater career prospects and so is India, a land full of opportunities with a diverse range of people coming upfront to make the best out of it. The cricketing world has progressed due to the presence of unrivaled cricket players and captains over time. They are the people who don’t give up on their failure but learn from it. Indian cricketers have the thirst to prove themselves through their consistent dedication and diligence towards the game. They not only represent the nation in international events but also establish great bonds. Thereby, Team spirit is the most important aspect of the game, which helps them to stay focused and supportive during the game.

It is a saying that the stars usually rise from the dead and it is partially true as the cricketers never give up and keep their spirits high to outshine other teams to make the nation proud. They are not alone in their journey as they are backed and accompanied by their fans, supporters, government and several other institutions. Little efforts can make huge differences. 

Full list of Indian cricket team captains

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