Top 5 batsmen who played better after becoming ODI captain

Captaincy and man management is no mean job. While even some greats of the game haven’t enjoyed a fruitful spell at the helm, unable to meet the demands as a leader, ironically losing their own game with the bat, these players have raised their game substantially and have lead from the front. Note 1: Only players with more than 1000 ODI runs as captain have been considered. Note 2: The list is selected comparing one’s batting average as non-captain and captain.

#5 Martin Crowe

The New Zealand skipper instilled belief within his side and transformed them into a competitive unit with his innovative strategies as captain. Rightly so, his average took an upward swing as skipper from 35.69 to 45.38.

Notably, his unbeaten 100 against Australia in the opening fixture of the 1992 World Cup resulted in a shock defeat for the tournament favourites Australia.

#4 Greg Chappell

The former Australian international only has a modest average of 30.65 as non-captain. With the captain’s suit on, it increased to 45.21 from 47 innings. The ex-Indian coach scored 1718 runs as skipper including three centuries.

Chappell loved batting against neighbours New Zealand and the numbers confirm the same. His aggregate against the Kiwis as captain stands at 713 runs from 12 innings at 79.22 runs per dismissal.

#3 Angelo Mathews

The Sri Lankan started off as a genuine all-rounder and averaged only 34.72 when he took over as captain. From then on, there has been no stopping Mathews. The skipper raised the bar and has started sharing the burden of scoring runs along with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Since becoming the skipper, the right-hander boasts a healthy average of 45.56 for his 1367 runs and has concentrated more on his batting. Considering the fact that Mathews bats in the lower middle-order, his runs has more often decided the fate of a contest.

#2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The wicket-keeper was trusted with the role of captaincy ahead of seniors like Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh when Rahul Dravid stepped aside after the World Cup in 2007. At that point, Dhoni was contributing 44.23 runs per dismissal which in itself is more than just a decent job considering his strike rate of 96.26.

It wouldn’t have been any bad on Dhoni’s part had he continued at the same rate. However, the skipper started to be a bit more cautious and made it a habit to bid time before exploding in the final overs. Such calculated assaults has earned him a remarkable average of 57.72 and 5715 runs as captain in 144 innings.

Interestingly, his average reads a staggering 73.96 in winning causes.

#1 AB de Villiers

The Protean is simply on a different level altogether as the designated captain in one-day internationals. The right-hander has scored 2416 runs in just 50 innings as skipper at a brilliant average of 65.29. Leading from the front, the cricketer has notched up 7 centuries and 13 half-centuries for South Africa.

Before accepting the leadership, the part-time wicket-keeper batsman was still very effective in the middle-order, accumulating 4523 runs at 45.68 per dismissal in 115 innings.