India is one of the most successful cricket teams in the entire world in all three formats of cricket. The credit for the glory and victory in the Indian Cricket team goes to the successful Indian Captains. Their captaincy has helped the squad to win and hold records. of the team depend a lot on the captain and As of now, a total of 24 players have been the captain of the Indian team in ODIs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played the most number of matches and successfully 110 of them virus the best win percentage of 70% has been made by Virat Kohli. Let's took a look at the top 9 most successful Indian captains in ODIs.

Most successful Indian Captains in ODIs

9. Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar became the captain of the Indian cricket team as a captain of in 1996. He is considered the God of cricket worldwide due to his excellent and outstanding batting skills. He overpowered everyone with his batting records and gained name fame and limelight. But his journey being the captain of the team was not similar to the journey as a batsman in the Indian cricket team. He led India in 73 ODI matches where the team successfully won only 23 matches. His winning percentage was only 35.07%. The fact that the team during that time was not strong is absolutely true his captaincy was also not good and could not pull up the team to a good mark.

Read also- Top 9 cricketers from the Indian U-19 cricket team who represented India

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8. Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar became the captain of the Indian Test team in 1976. After a few years, he was given the ODI captaincy in 1980. During his captaincy in ODI, he led the team in 38 matches and won 14 matches out of it with a winning percentage of 36.84%. One of the most memorable moments of his captaincy career was winning the world championship of cricket in Australia in 1985.

7. Dilip Vengsarkar

The batsman popularly known as colonel due to his heroic performances is none other than Dilip Vengsarkar. He started leading the Indian cricket team as a captain in 1987. The period of his captaincy was very short and it ended in 1989. He played brilliantly in his first series as a captain where he scored two centuries but right after that the team had a horrible tour in West Indies in early 1989 and he lost his position. In the short span of his captaincy period, he led the team to play 18 matches where the team won only 8 matches with a win percentage of 44.4.

6. Mohammad Azharuddin

Azharuddin became the captain of the Indian cricket team in 1989. His first match was the tour to New Zealand. He led the Indian squad in a total of 174 matches where the team won in 90 matches with a percentage of 53.57. He is considered as one of the best captains are Indian team ever had and he also held the record of the highest number of wins in ODI and his record was then suppressed by MS Dhoni.

5. Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly is undoubtedly one of the most fearless and successful Indian captains of India. He started his captaincy in 1999 and took risks at every point in time and pushed his team forward always. He often willingly targeted himself to draw the attention of the opposition and benefited other players to give their best for themselves and the team. Ganguly was a part of the team's ups and downs. He did an exceptional job in captaincy and also helped players like MS Dhoni, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Virender Sehwag to have an exceptional career and achieve international acclaim. He played a total of 146 ODI matches as a captain and won 76 matches out of 146 matches, with a winning percentage of 54.

4. Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev is considered to be one of the most greatest and successful Indian captains of all time. He is one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of Indian cricket. During his career, he has made many unbreakable records like the only cricketer to score 5000 runs and take more than 400 wickets in test cricket. He is the first captain who led the team to win the historic world cup for the first time in 1983. He started his captaincy in 1982 and his first match was the tour of the West Indies. The team successfully won the match. Gavaskar was reappointed as the captain of the team in 1984 due to his poor performances.

But again in 1985 Dev started his captaincy and won the very first test match against England in 1986. He led the team in a total of 79 matches and won 39 matches with a winning percentage of 54.16%. His captaincy period was rough due to his inconsistency at some point in time. But as a whole, he is a better captain than a player according to statistics.

3. Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid became the captain of the Indian team after Sourav Ganguly in 2000. He was nicknamed the wall of cricket for obvious reasons. Be it during captaincy or at any other time, the team believed in him every time. When Dravid enjoy the Indian team, the situation was quite uncertain. But slowly and steadily he led and rebuilt the team. Cricketers like Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni Irfan Pathan were a crucial part of the team at that time. They helped Dravid to win matches and also brought improvement in the ODI considerably. He played 79 matches as a captain and won 42 matches. He has a winning percentage of 56.

2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

"Dhoni hai to mumkin hai!"- The phrase praising Dhoni is 100% correct as he is one of the most successful Indian captains. We have seen him taking matches from very uncertain to wholesome wins. The cool captain holds many records and created history when it comes to Indian cricket. He started captaincy in 2007 and since then there is no looking back. He is always calm and composed always beat on-field or off-field. Dhoni holds the record of playing most ODI matches and scoring the most ODI runs as an Indian captain. As a captain, his batting average is the 3rd best after Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers. India became the number 1 ranked ODI team under MS Dhoni's captaincy in 2013 for the first time.

After Kapil Dev, he is the one who led the team to win the 2011 world cup. India won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2013 champions trophy under his captaincy. He also played 200 ODI matches as a captain and won 110 of them. In addition, his winning percentage is a whopping 60. He is undoubtedly one of the most loved and appreciated cricketers all over the world. Dhoni announced his retirement on 15th August 2020 by an Instagram post. He played his last international match against New Zealand in the Semi-Final of the 2019 world cup.

Read Also: The Cricket Story: BCCI and Differently-abled Cricket Council Of India

1. Virat Kohli

The king of cricket made his debut in international cricket in 2008 and since then there is no looking back. In 12 years of his cricketing career, he has made and broke many records and is also the present captain of the Indian team since 2016. There has been a lot of conversations regarding Kohli's captaincy but he has overcome all of this with his captaincy and performances. He is the fourth most successful Indian captain in ODI after MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, and Mohammed Azharuddin. After his former captain MS Dhoni, Kohli is the second Indian captain with the most runs in ODI matches.

King Kohli also holds the record of most number of ODI centuries by an Indian captain. He has played 95 matches in ODI as a captain and has won 65 of them and he has a great winning percentage of 70% when it comes to ODI.

Who is your favorite among them?

For any touring cricket team, England presents an unique challenge in Test cricket. It's a land where even most skilled players can struggle.

Far away from home, Indian cricketers have sincerely accepted this challenge and given a tough fight for many years. Discover which batting legends have mastered the game and scored the most runs vs England in England for India in tests.

1. Sachin Tendulkar | 1575 Runs

The 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar holds the unmatched record for most runs vs England in England for India in tests. He scored 1575 runs in 17 matches (30 innings) with an average above 54.

Tendulkar dominated the English soil with 4 hundreds and 8 fifties in his test career.

Read Also: Sachin vs Kohli: Stats Comparison in Test Cricket

Tendulkar stats vs England in England

2. Rahul Dravid | 1376 Runs

Rahul Dravid is another big name when it comes to legendary test batsmen from India. He holds impressive record against England which is hard to match in the long run for young Indian batters of the coming age.

Dravid scored 1376 runs in 13 matches, with his highest being a phenomenal 217 runs during India tour of England in 2002.

Dravid stats vs England in England

3. Sunil Gavaskar | 1152 Runs

Sunil Gavaskar is the third Indian batter to cross the 1000-run mark against England in England. The 'Little Master' scored 1152 runs in 16 matches during his Test career.

He scored 221 runs in 1979, which is the highest score ever by an Indian batsman against England in their own soil.

Gavaskar stats vs England in England

4. Virat Kohli | 976 Runs

Here comes the most successful Test captain of India, Virat Kohli, securing the fourth position in this list. He surpassed many legendary test batters with his brilliant record against England in their home soil.

Kohli scored 976 runs in 15 matches, with 2 centuries and 5 fifties to his name. The numbers could soar higher if he had not retired from tests at the age of 36, in 2025.

Read Also: The Kohli Effect: Will Indian fans lose interest in Test cricket after Virat Kohli's retirement?

Kohli stats vs England in England

5. Dilip Vengsarkar | 960 Runs

Dilip Vengsarkar is a gem of a player in the history of Indian Test cricket. He scored 960 runs in 13 matches (23 innings), with 157 being his highest score.

Vengsarkar scored 4 hundreds and 4 fifties during his tenure.

Vengsarkar stats vs England in England

6. Sourav Ganguly | 915 Runs

Another successful captain in the history of Indian Test cricket, Sourav Ganguly, makes his way to the sixth rank in the list. He started his career with an iconic ton against England in 1996.

Ganguly scored a total of 915 runs in 9 matches (15 innings) vs England in England with an average above 65.

Read Also: Most successful Test captains from India

Ganguly stats vs England in England 

7. Gundappa Viswanath | 858 Runs

Gundappa Viswanath played a major role for India in Tests back in the 1970s. He scored 858 runs in 13 matches against England in England, with an average of 39.

Viswanath stats vs England in England 

8. Cheteshwar Pujara | 806 Runs

Cheteshwar Pujara's journey as a test batsman in the English soil was short-lived but great. He scored 806 runs in 14 matches, having one century and 5 fifties to his name.

Pujara stats vs England in England 

9. MS Dhoni | 778 Runs

Apart from excellent captaincy records, MS Dhoni also holds the ninth position for most runs vs England in England for India in tests. He scored 778 runs in 12 matches (23 innings).

Read Also: 16 Indian Cricketers with stands named after them at a stadium

Dhoni stats vs England in England

10. Ajinkya Rahane | 665 Runs

Ajinkya Rahane is the tenth name in the elite list for most runs vs England in England for India in tests. He scored 665 runs in 14 matches, with a classy century and 5 half centuries to his name.

Rahane stats vs England in England 

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar has announced Team India for India's tour of England today i.e. Saturday, 24 May. Along with the ENG vs IND 2025 squad announcement of the team, he also announced the new captain. A total of 18 players of Team India have been selected for the England tour and the command of this team has been handed over to young Shubman Gill.

Rishabh Pant has been made the vice-captain of the team. Karun Nair has returned to the Indian squad for the first time since 2017. Players like Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh have also got a place. However, Mohammed Shami has not been selected in the team.

Also Read: Every Test Captain of Indian Men's Test Cricket Team

Here's everything Agarkar said during the Press conference of ENG vs IND 2025 squad announcement.

Why was Mohammed Shami not selected?

Ajit Agarkar has confirmed that the medical team has declared Mohammed Shami unfit, due to which he has not been selected. "He's had a little bit of a setback over the past week, got some MRIs done. Wasn't going to be able to play five Tests. Don't think his workload is where he needs to be. Medical guys told he'll be ruled out. We were hoping he'll play some part, but if he's not fit, we'd rather pick guys fit and available rather than waiting," Agarkar said.

Shami played his last Test match for India in the form of WTC Final 2023.

Virat Kohli had approached for retirement in April

Ajit Agarkar revealed that Virat Kohli had approached him in April regarding retirement from Test cricket. He said, "When guys like that retire, always big holes to fill. Ashwin also retired. Those three have been stalwarts. Always difficult. One way of looking at it is, opportunity for someone else. Had conversations with both of them."

"Virat reached out early April, seem him give 200% every ball he plays even when he's not batting or on the field. Felt he'd given everything he had, if he can't keep up to the standards it was time for him. It's come from him. Have to respect that. They've earned that respect."

Jasprit Bumrah will not play all 5 Tests

Jasprit Bumrah will not play all five Tests, Ajit Agarkar confirms. The chief selector said, "Don't think he'll be available for all five Tests. Whether it's four or three, we'll see based on how the series goes and his workload is. Even if he's fit for 3-4 Tests, he'll be an asset for us. Just happy he's part of the squad.

"More important to us a player. Once you're managing people, there's a lot that takes out of you. We've had a chat with him, he's okay with it. He knows where his body's at. KL not really, he's captained a while back, he's a quality player and hope he has a big series. With Booms, it was more about his workload management.

'He’s a quality bowler'

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has been included in the squad in the absence of Mohammad Shami. Talking about Arshdeep's inclusion, Ajit Agarkar stated, "He's a quality bowler and has had a taste of counTy as well. he plays domestic when he can. A tall guy, can bowl with the new ball, has body of work in red-ball cricket and in recent form in the last couple of years. Bumrah unlikely to play all five Tests, we needed a bit of variety."

Also Read: Form? Fitness? Should Mohammad Shami be there for the England test series? Who are the other options?

Agarkar on captaincy

With Shubman Gill being appointed as India's new Test captain, Ajit Agarkar provided a massive hint that Gill could be the long-term leader of the Test team.

"We discussed every option that's there, over the last year or so, we've looked at Shubman at various times. Taken a lot of feedback from the dressing room. Very young, but there's been improvement. We're hopeful he's the guy. He's a terrific player, our best wishes to him."

"You don't pick captains for one tour or two tours. We've seen some progress over the last year or two with him. No doubt it's going to be as tough as it gets,"

Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new Test captain of the Indian Men's Test Cricket team for the five-Test series starting in England from June 20. Wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant has been appointed as the vice-captain of the team.

Also Read: LIVE: Indian Test team announcement for England tour LIVE updates | Subhman Gill named captain; Nair, Sudharsan, Easwaran, Shardul in test squad

Gill will replace Rohit Sharma, who retired from the format in May due to poor form last season, especially in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

Gill's Test career

Gill has played 32 Tests for India so far. He made his Test debut in the MCG Test on India's 2020-21 Australia tour. He has so far scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.05. There is a big difference between his average at home (42.03) and outside (27.53). The upcoming series will be Gill's first full tour.

He has also played two WTC Finals there in 2021 and 2023, and also played the fifth Test on the 2021 tour after it was postponed due to COVID-19.

India will start WTC 2025-27 cycle with five-Test series

India will start the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a five-Test series against England. They are scheduled to play the first Test at Headingley (from June 20), the second Test at Edgbaston (from July 2), the third Test at Lord's (from July 10), the fourth Test at Old Trafford (from July 23) and the final Test at The Oval (from July 31).

Every Captain of Indian Men's Test Cricket Team

Since their first Test in 1932, India have witnessed 36 Test captains across 589 matches. CK Nayudu led India in their maiden Test match in 1932 against England. However, it was only 20 years later that India tasted their first Test victory under the captaincy of Vijay Hazare against England on February 10, 1952 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Only five Indian captains – Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – have managed to notch up at least 10 Test victories. Kohli remains as India’s most successful Test captain, winning 40 of the 68 Tests he led in with a 58.82 success rate. Leading in 60 games between 2008-14, Dhoni is the second-most successful Test skipper for the country, winning 27 matches.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Indian men's test cricket team's announcement for the upcoming England tour. Chief of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir might attend the press conference to announce the Indian men's test cricket for the important England tour.

After qualifying for consecutive WTC finals, India failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final under Rohit Sharma. Now, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli already gone from the test format, India will have to fill many gaps to start the new WTC cycle. 

Who will be the next test captain? Will Mohammed Shami be picked? There are many questions which will be answered today.

So, stay tuned as we bring you all the LIVE updates of the announcement. 

The true defining moments of IPL happens in the playoffs stage. A batsman's ability to deal pressure and get going is tested in these high-stakes environment.

As we are about to enter the playoffs of IPL 2025, let's take a look at the 5 batters with the most runs in IPL playoffs history. Some impressive unmatched numbers are ready to unfold. Check them out.

5. Shane Watson | 389 Runs

The Australian legend, Shane Watson's impact on IPL playoffs and crucial matches holds the 5th position for the 5 batters with the most runs in IPL playoffs history.

Watson made his debut in IPL 2008 and played until 2020, scoring a total of 389 runs in 12 playoff matches. He was in the winning squad of Rajasthan Royals in 2008, and won the title with CSK in 2018. He also represented RCB during his IPL career.

Watson scored a century and 3 fifties in his IPL playoffs journey, with a strike rate above 150.

Read Also: 5 bowlers with the most wickets in IPL playoffs history

Shane Watson stats in IPL playoffs

4. Faf du Plessis | 390 runs

The South African cricketer, Faf du Plessis, has a strong playoffs record with the bat, having scored 390 runs in 15 playoff matches in IPL. His ability to adapt and play power-packed cricket has been crucial for the teams.

He won 2 titles with Chennai Super Kings in 2018 and 2021, and played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in other playoff matches.

Faf du Plessis stats in IPL playoffs

3. Shubham Gill | 474 Runs

The youngest name on this elite list, Shubman Gill, has rapidly grown to be a key player in IPL playoffs. He scored a total of 474 runs in just 10 playoff matches, playing for KKR and GT.

Gill's standout performance came with a record breaking 129 runs in the Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023 for Gujarat Titans. He also lifted the trophy with the franchise in 2022.

The numbers are about to increase, as GT has made it to the playoffs of IPL 2025, and we are yet to see some Gill magic in the upcoming playoffs scene.

Read Also: Can Shubman Gill or Sai Sudharsan break Kohli's record of most IPL runs in a single season?

Shubham Gill status in IPL playoffs

2. MS Dhoni | 523 Runs

A list like this is incomplete without the playoffs King himself, so here he is! MS Dhoni holds the second position with 523 runs in 28 playoff matches, which is the highest no. of matches among others in here.

Dhoni is a key player for the team who led CSK to win the IPL title 5 times, and also led RPSG into the finals in IPL 2017. His ability to finish matches will be forever treasured in all kinds of playing format.

MS Dhoni stats in IPL playoffs

1. Suresh Raina | 714 Runs

The former Indian cricketer, Suresh Raina, holds the 1st rank in the list for 5 batters with the most runs in IPL playoffs history. He scored 714 runs in 24 playoffs matches, played for CSK and GL.

It's been 6 years since Raina played his last playoff match (in 2019), and his numbers are still far from being broken in the current IPL years.

He also won the title 4 times with CSK, playing a crucial role in their playoff games with a strike rate above 155.

Read Also: Which team has qualified for IPL playoffs most times?

Suresh Raina stats in IPL playoffs