5 players who were surprisingly handed over the captaincy 

#2 Anil Kumble - India (Tests)

Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble has been one of the greatest servants of Indian cricket. India's highest wicket-taker in Tests and ODIs, Kumble possessed a sharp cricketing mind and was a brilliant reader of the game.

Unfortunately, he was never really considered for the captaincy until the fag end of his career. After a historic Test series win against England, Rahul Dravid resigned as the Indian captain. MS Dhoni, who by then had led India to the World T20 triumph, was the front-runner for the post. But, the selectors felt that Dhoni needed to be given a little more time to settle as the captain in ODIs and T20s before handing him the captaincy in Tests.

Thus, Anil Kumble was handed over the captaincy at the age of 37. Even though Jumbo's captaincy tenure was quite sort, he will always be remembered for leading the side to victory in the famous Perth Test against Australia in 2007-08, in what was one of the most cherished wins in the history of Indian cricket.