Virender Sehwag to Shikhar Dhawan: India’s 7 T20I captains

#4 Ajinkya Rahane (2015)

Played 2 | Won 1 | Lost 1 | Success 50%

Surprisingly, Ajinkya Rahane led India in T20Is before Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

In the absence of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane was handed the Indian white-ball captaincy as a young side toured Zimbabwe in 2015. Despite winning the first match, Rahane failed to win the series as India suffered a 10-run defeat in the second game.

Despite a brilliant T20I debut in 2011, Rahane didn't find enough success in the format. He couldn't replicate his leadership success in Tests in white-ball cricket. Even as skipper of the Rajasthan Royals, he was replaced by Steve Smith midway through the 2019 IPL season.

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#5 Virat Kohli (2017-21)

Played 45 | Won 27 | Lost 14 | Success 65.11%

Virat Kohli has only lost two out of the 17 series he has led India as the T20I captain.

Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy in early 2017, and expectedly, the cloak fell upon Virat Kohli. Though Kohli hasn’t inspired his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) enough, he has done well as Indian captain. In the 17 series that he has led, he has lost just two.

During Kohli’s tenure as the Indian T20I captain, his most significant achievement has been winning three consecutive series (2016-17, 2018 and 2020-21) against the very strong Eoin Morgan-led England.

Kohli is the only T20I cricketer with over 3,000 runs. For anyone with over 500 T20I runs, Kohli’s batting average of 52.65 is the highest. Of all the international captains in T20Is, Kohli has the best batting record. He has amassed 1,502 runs in the 45 T20 at 45.45, striking at over 143.

Despite a good success rate, Kohli’s inability to win ICC tournaments has attracted criticism. How India fares in the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup will mark his legacy.

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#6 Rohit Sharma (2017-20)

Played 19 | Won 15 | Lost 4 | Success 78.94%

Rohit Sharma has won most number of IPL trophies.

With five IPL trophies and a CLT20 title in his cabinet, Rohit Sharma is arguably the finest T20 brain in India. His tactical acumen is evident from his strategy and bowling changes, especially while marshaling his troops for Mumbai Indians. Unfortunately, Rohit happens to play in the Kohli era. Many across the cricket fraternity believe Rohit should be appointed as India’s white-ball captain.

In Kohli's absence, Rohit has led India in six series and one tournament, winning six of them. His finest achievement as Indian skipper came during the Nidahas Trophy tri-series in 2018, which was won by a young and inexperienced side. His decision to hold back Dinesh Karthik for death overs in the final paid dividends as the wicketkeeper-batter won India the tournament with a six off the last ball.

As captain, Rohit has a fantastic batting record. He has two T20I hundreds and strikes at 160. He is the regular vice-captain of India’s limited-overs setup.

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#7 Shikhar Dhawan (2021)

Shikhar Dhawan is set to be the seventh cricketer to lead India in T20Is.

Shikhar Dhawan, who led Delhi last season in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2021), is all set to be the seventh man to lead India in T20Is. After winning the ODI series earlier in the week, he will now captain the young troop in the absence of the regular stalwarts – Kohli, Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul.

Dhawan has limited exposure to the IPL captaincy, having led the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during the early stages of the 2014 IPL. After six losses and four wins, the team management replaced him with Daren Sammy for the rest of the tournament.

The Sri Lanka T20Is will test Dhawan’s leadership skills and provide him with a platform to audition for the T20 World Cup as the competition for places has further stiffened with the emergence of Prithvi Shaw Devdutt Padikkal. Dhawan currently holds the Orange Cap in the 2021 IPL.