Rating the Indian captains since 2000

Rahul Dravid (2003-2007) – 7.5/10

Dravid led India to their first Test win against South Africa on South African soil

It was Sunil Gavaskar who had said, “Nobody talks about Rahul Dravid as a captain.” True, he may be regarded as one of the best batsmen India have ever produced, but Dravid is seldom remembered for his insightful captaincy.

Under Dravid, India built a superb Test record. They won two Test series abroad, in the West Indies in 2006 and in England in 2007. With these two wins, Dravid became the only India captain other than Ajit Wadekar to achieve this feat. Interestingly, both these wins had something to do with his trust in bowlers who could swing the ball and take wickets. Dravid was also the first Indian captain to lead the team to a Test match win against South Africa on South African soil.

In ODIs as well India had a better win % than they had under Ganguly. And when it comes to giving young players an opportunity, the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, and Dinesh Karthik among others all debuted under Dravid. Yes, the 2007 World Cup debacle was a big black mark on Dravid’s tenure but the changes envisaged under him had laid the foundations for the Dhoni era.

Summary	Matches	Wins	Losses	Drawn/No result	Win%
Test	25	8	6	11	32
ODI	79	42	33	4	56