5 great captains who never won a Test in Australia ft. MS Dhoni
Throughout their careers, every captain faces a litmus test of securing success in Australia. The reason being the surface Down Under offers much bounce and pace to the fast bowlers, which is in stark contrast to the pitches in their backyard (apart from South Africa).
Currently, Indian captain Rohit Sharma is in search of his first win in Australia. The stand-in captain, Jasprit Bumrah secured a monumental victory for the side in Perth. Meanwhile, the day-night Test in Adelaide saw the visitors suffering a 10-wicket loss, with Rohit at the helm.
Historically, there have been notable skippers who haven't had success in tasting victory in Australian conditions. Let's take a look at those five players who retired from the sport without a win Down Under.
#1 MS Dhoni
'Captain Cool' is revered as one of the finest captains to lead the Indian team in their storied history. However, MS Dhoni didn't accrue much success in the longest format. Under him, India managed to win only 27 out of 60 games, while losing in 18 of them.
Dhoni led the side in two tours - 2011-12 and 2014-15, failing to win any of the games. The 2011-12 tour saw Australia securing a 4-0 series whitewash. Then, during the 2014-15 tour, India lost the first two Test matches and managed a draw in the third.
Surprisingly, after the third Test in Melbourne, Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest format due to the strain of playing across all formats.
#2 Stephen Fleming
Under the leadership of Stephen Fleming, New Zealand managed to win 28 out of 80 Tests. During his captaincy reign, the Black Caps toured Australia on three occasions - 1997, 2001 and 2004.
The 1997 three-match series saw Australia winning 2-0. Meanwhile, in 2001, the three-match series was drawn 0-0. In 2004, Australia completed a 2-0 whitewash.
#3 Arjuna Ranatunga
The 1996 World Cup-winning captain, Arjuna Ranatunga didn't achieve much success in the red-ball format. Under him, Sri Lanka won only 12 out of 56 games.
Ranatunga captained Sri Lanka in their two tours to Australia - 1989 and 1995-96. In 1989, Australia secured a 1-0 victory in two-match series. In the 1995-96 series, Australia dominated the opposition with a 3-0 scoreline.
#4 Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah-ul-Haq captained Pakistan in 56 Tests, securing success in 26 of them. However, only three of those games took place in Australia during the 2015-16 tour.
Along with failing as a batter, Misbah failed to secure a victory in any of the three games. The Australian team dominated the visitors and secured a 3-0 series victory.
#5 Alastair Cook
Former England captain Alastair Cook holds the record for playing the most consecutive matches (159) in the history of Test cricket. Meanwhile, Cook holds a 24-22 captaincy record in 59 games.
During his leadership tenure, England visited Australia two times - 2013-14 and 2017-18. In 2013-14, a sensational Australian team won all five games in the series.
The 2017-18 Ashes saw Australia beating their arch-rivals 4-0 in a five-match series. As a result, Cook lost nine out of 10 games Down Under.