Most runs scored by a captain in Test cricket

#3 Ricky Ponting- 6543 runs

Ricky Ponting is the most successful captain ever in the history of the game. He also has the second most victories in Test cricket. He always led Australia aggressively and from the front, winning 48 Tests out of 77. He scored 6543 runs in 140 innings with 19 centuries. His highest score as an Australian skipper was 209 runs.

#2 Allan Border- 6623 runs

Allan Border is the second most capped Test skipper. He may not have been the most successful Australian captain, but he was the sole reason for Australia's dominance in the late 20th century. He laid the foundations for a team, which turned out to be the most lethal sports team ever. He scored 6623 runs in 154 innings with 15 centuries and 35 half-centuries.

#1 Graeme Smith- 8659 runs

When Graeme Smith took the South African captainship, Proteas were going through a very bad phase because of the match-fixing saga. The 22-year-old took the responsibility and turned around South Africa's cricketing fate. He made his side one of the best Test sides ever. He led South Africa to an unbeaten away spree of consecutive 9 years.

He is also the most capped Test skipper ever, leading the Proteas for 109 matches. He is also the only Test captain with more than 50 victories. He is also one of the best Test openers ever. He scored 6659 runs in 193 innings with an average of 48. He also has 25 centuries under his chin as the South African skipper, most by any in world cricket.