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12. Mohammad Azharuddin (1990-99)
Played 174 | Won 90 | Lost 76 | Success 53.57%
- Hero Cup 1993
The former chairman of the selection committee Raj Singh Dungarpur once famously asked Azhar: “Mian, captain banoge? [Will you be captain?]” The rest, they say, is history.
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Azhar’s captaincy tenure coincided with the rise of the satellite television era in India. As the 1990s marched on, India began hosting day-night ODIs. The commercialisation of the sport also witnessed India’s reputation as a more consistent side sore.
Azhar became the first Indian captain to lead the side in over a hundred ODIs. He also remained India’s most successful ODI captain for over a decade-and-a-half. The growth of Tendulkar, and then that of Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid also helped his cause. A stylish right-hander, Azhar was a proven performer himself.
India won several tournaments under the Hyderabadi batter, most notably the Hero Cup in 1993, in which the Indian captain was also awarded the Player of the tournament. He led India in three World Cups – 1992, 1996 and 1999. India lost the semi-final in 1996 while failing to make a good impression in the two tournaments.
Azhar lost his captaincy in 1996 after the England tour but was reinstated in 1998, before losing it again after the World Cup in 1999.
13. Sachin Tendulkar (1996-2000)
Played 73 | Won 23 | Lost 43 | Success 34.33%
Sachin Tendulkar was 23 and the best batsman in the world when he was appointed the Indian captain for the first time. However, his two stints as Indian ODI captain were far from successful.
Under his leadership, India had to travel overseas for some challenging tours. Amid the failures, there were some cherished moments like the 1996 Titan Cup win and the 4-1 Sahara Cup triumph over Pakistan in 1997.
Tendulkar lost his captaincy at the end of 1997. He was appointed again after the 1999 World Cup but stepped down in early 2000. After Rahul Dravid stepped down as India’s captain in 2007, Tendulkar was offered the captaincy again, but he instead recommended MS Dhoni for the post.
14. Ajay Jadeja (1998-99)
Played 13 | Won 8 | Lost 5 | Success 61.53%
Ajay Jadeja was a vital member of the Indian ODI setup in the 1990s. A deputy to Azhar and later Tendulkar, Jadeja was an intelligent cricketer who led in the absence of the big guns.
He was a smart tactician who enjoyed decent success as a leader and could have been appointed full-time ODI captain after the 1999 World Cup.
15. Sourav Ganguly (1999-2005)
Played 146 | Won 76 | Lost 65 | Success 53.9%
- Champions Trophy 2002 (Joint winners)
- Runners-up, Champions Trophy 2000
- Runners-up, World Cup 2003
Ganguly first led India in the final of a tri-series in Singapore as both Tendulkar and Jadeja were unavailable. Then, with the both of them missing another series against the West Indies in Toronto, Ganguly led a young Indian side to a 2-1 victory.
After Tendulkar stepped down, Ganguly was appointed the captain as he was a certainty in both formats. Ganguly saw India through a turbulent phase after the match-fixing controversy broke in 2000. During the same time, Ganguly was at his best as an ODI player.
To bring some much-needed balance to the side, Ganguly made his deputy Rahul Dravid keep wickets in ODIs.
Considered one of the finest captains of the modern era, Ganguly and coach John Wright are credited with rebuilding the Indian side by backing talented cricketers from smaller regions. As a result, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, etc., debuted under Ganguly’s captaincy. The same crux of players went on to win the 2011 World Cup for India.
A loss in batting form and a spat with then-head coach Greg Chappell in 2005 saw the end of the famous Ganguly era in Indian cricket. One of the biggest names in the cricketing world, he currently serves as BCCI President.
16. Rahul Dravid (2000-07)
Played 79 | Won 42 | Lost 33 | Success 56%
A long-time deputy to Ganguly, Rahul Dravid would often lead India in Ganguly’s absence. He first led against Zimbabwe at Rajkot in 2000, a game best remembered for Ajit Agarkar’s 21-ball half-century.
Dravid had already led India in 17 ODIs by the time he replaced Ganguly. Often remembered for being at the helm during India’s disappointing campaigns in the 2006 Champions Trophy and 2007 World Cup, Dravid is an underrated ODI captain under whose leadership, the careers of Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Dhoni and Yuvraj flourished.
Under Dravid, India began chasing well, and he oversaw a winning streak 0f 16 consecutive successful chases.
Also, with the emergence of Dhoni and no pressure of wicketkeeping, Dravid had a good run as a batsman during his tenure as ODI captain.
17. Anil Kumble (2002)
Played 1 | Won 1 | Lost 0 | Success 100%
In the absence of Ganguly and Dravid, Kumble led India to a 4-wicket win over England in Chennai in the third ODI of their 2001-02 tour. Sachin Tendulkar would bag the Man-of-the-Match award for his 68 at the top of the order.
18. Virender Sehwag (2003-12)
Played 12 | Won 7 | Lost 5 | Success 58.33%
Virender Sehwag never got to captain India full-time, but during his various stints as the vice-captain, he led the side in the regular skipper's absence. Sehwag’s first game as India’s captain came in the absence of Ganguly and Dravid in 2003. He led the side to a win over Bangladesh.
He was later the vice-captain to Dravid and Dhoni. In 2011, Sehwag led India to a series victory against West Indies at home. During that series, he struck the iconic 219 and became the second double centurion in ODIs. It remained the highest score in ODIs for three years before Rohit Sharma surpassed it. Sehwag’s 219 remains the highest ODI score for a captain.
19. MS Dhoni (2007-18)
Played 200 | Won 110 | Lost 74 | Success 58.2%
- World Cup 2011
- Champions Trophy 2013
Under MS Dhoni’s captaincy began the most remarkable phase of India’s limited-overs journey. The Dhoni era coincided with the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) as the national side entered its fairy-tale phase.
Before Dhoni began his ODI captaincy journey for India, he had already won the 2007 T20 World Cup. With sky-high confidence, he led India to a tri-series win in Australia, where Dhoni’s men downed the World Champions in consecutive finals. Two years later, he won the Asia Cup.
Dhoni then led India to their 2011 World Cup triumph, emerging as a hero in the final. Two years later, he also led a young Indian side to a 2013 Champions Trophy win.
One of the greatest wicketkeeper-batters of all time, Dhoni is also regarded as one of the finest limited-overs captains to have played the sport.
He stepped down from captaincy in early 2017 but later led India in one of the games in the Asia Cup 2018 in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. It was his 200th match as India captain. No player other than Dhoni, Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming has led their national sides in 200 ODIs.
20. Suresh Raina (2010-14)
Played 12 | Won 6 | Lost 5 | Success 54.54%
With Dhoni and other senior players absent, Raina led India in three ODI series in a span of four years. While his side failed to qualify for the final in a tri-series in Zimbabwe, he won 3-2 in the West Indies the following year. His last assignment as a skipper came in Bangladesh in 2014, where India won 2-0.
21. Gautam Gambhir (2010-11)
Played 6 | Won 6 | Lost 0 | Success 100%
A proven leader in the domestic and IPL circuit, Gambhir’s best days as a cricketer came during Dhoni’s peak, or else he would have ended up leading India in more games.
In Dhoni's absence, Gambhir’s India whitewashed New Zealand 5-0 in a home series. A year later, he led India to a victory over the West Indies as well. Gambhir hasn’t lost a match as India’s captain.
22. Virat Kohli (2013-21)
Played 95 | Won 65 | Lost 27 | Success 69.89%
- Runners-up, Champions Trophy 2017
Kohli’s rise as a batsman saw him replace Gambhir as India’s ODI vice-captain. An Under-19 World Cup-winning captain in 2008, Kohli was already leading his IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2012.
Starting 2013, Kohli led the national side whenever Dhoni opted for a break or was injured. He had already led India in 17 ODIs before taking over as the full-time ODI skipper in 2017.
An all-time great in ODIs, Kohli enjoys an excellent success rate as captain, but his wins are majorly restricted to bilateral series wins. Kohli’s India lost to Pakistan in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, and two years later, despite topping the league stage, India exited in the semi-final stage of the 2019 World Cup.
23. Ajinkya Rahane (2015)
Played 3 | Won 3 | Lost 0 | Success 100%
Rahane’s leadership style has made news recently, especially after the Test series win in Australia. The Maharashtra batsman led India in three games back in 2015. He led an inexperienced side to a 3-0 win in Zimbabwe.
24. Rohit Sharma (2017-19)
Played 10 | Won 8 | Lost 2 | Success 80%
An astute leader, it would be unfortunate if Rohit doesn’t get a run as India’s full-time limited-overs captain. Rohit, the most successful IPL skipper with five pieces of silverware to his name in the tournam, has led India superbly whenever Kohli has missed out on games. Under Rohit, India won the Asia Cup in 2018. The Indian T20I side has also done very well under Rohit’s leadership.
Rohit is the only batsman other than Sehwag to slam an ODI double hundred as captain.
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