From Ajit Wadekar to Shikhar Dhawan: India’s 25 ODI captains, their legacy and records
Shikhar Dhawan is set to be India’s 25th ODI captain after being named skipper for the Sri Lanka tour. The 35-year-old southpaw hasn’t led his team out in List A cricket in the past eight-and-a-half years and he's been captain for only 7 List A matches in his long career.
With India's first-choice players in England for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final and the Test series against the hosts, Dhawan has an opportunity to lead a young Indian team and to leave his mark on the side's legacy.
Coincidentally, Dhawan’s first match as the ODI captain will be India’s 47th anniversary in ODI cricket. On July 13, 1974, under Ajit Wadekar, India played their first-ever ODI in Leeds.
From Wadekar to Dhawan, let’s take a look at all Indian ODI captains over the years.
List of ODI captains for India
1. Ajit Wadekar (1974)
Played 2 | Won 0 | Lost 2 | Success 0%
India didn’t disappoint with the bat in their first-ever ODI outing. Led by skipper Wadekar’s 67 and an attacking 78-ball 82 from Brijesh Patel, India got 265 on the board before the bowlers failed them. India lost their first two ODIs under Wadekar.
Better remembered for the Test wins under his leadership in West Indies and England, Wadekar was one of the giants of Indian cricket. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 77.
2. Srinivas Venkataraghavan (1975-79)
Played 7 | Won 1 | Lost 6 | Success 14.28%
A part of India's famous spin quartet alongside Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna, Venkataraghavan took over the captaincy reins from Wadekar and led the team in the 1975 World Cup.
Under his leadership, India won their first-ever ODI against East Africa in Leeds. It remains the only win under his captaincy. He also led India in the 1979 World Cup in England.
3. Bishan Bedi (1976-78)
Played 4 | Won 1 | Lost 3 | Success 25%
Between Venkataraghavan's two captaincy stints, Bedi led India in four ODIs. He had the distinction of leading India in their first-ever match against Pakistan, a victory at Quetta. However, the strong Pakistan side returned well and won the next game. Bedi controversially conceded the final ODI.
India needed 23 runs off 14 balls with eight wickets in hand before Bedi conceded the match in protest at Sarfraz Nawaz bowling bouncers too high for the batsmen to reach, without a single one being called wide by the umpires. Bedi didn’t captain India after that tour.
4. Sunil Gavaskar (1980-85)
Played 37 | Won 14 | Lost 21 | Success 40%
- World Championship of Cricket 1985
Gavaskar was the first Indian ODI captain to have had a reasonably long run at the top. He had two major stints as ODI captain. After being removed from captaincy during his first stint, he won the 1983 World Cup as a player.
Two years later, he led India to victory at the World Championship of Cricket in Australia. It remains one of India’s most outstanding achievements in its cricketing chronicles.
5. Gundappa Viswanath (1981)
Played 1 | Won 0 | Lost 1 | Success 0%
Viswanath’s tenure as India's ODI captain was even shorter than his Test tenure of two matches. He led India in the Hamilton ODI against New Zealand in the absence of his brother-in-law Gavaskar. India had to win to draw the series, but they faced an embarrassing 57-run defeat instead.
6. Kapil Dev (1982-87)
Played 74 | Won 39 | Lost 33 | Success 54.16%
- World Cup 1983
Kapil Dev was India’s first great limited-overs captain, and the first captain from the nation to win a World Cup. He was only 23 when the responsibility was thrust onto him in 1982.
While his predecessors were more defensive in their approach, Kapil brought his aggressive brand of cricket as a player to his leadership as well. He led from the front as India laid their hands on the 1983 World Cup. During his second stint as captain, he led India to the semi-finals of the 1987 World Cup.
He’s the first Indian captain to record more wins than losses in ODIs. One of the greats of the game, he was named Wisden’s Indian Cricketer of the 20th Century ahead of Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
7. Syed Kirmani (1983)
Played 1 | Won 0 | Lost 1 | Success 0%
In the absence of Kapil Dev, Kirmani led India in the final ODI against the West Indies at Guwahati in December 1983. The visitors were on a rampage, looking to avenge their World Cup final loss. However, even a change of leadership couldn't avert a 5-0 result.
8. Mohinder Amarnath (1984)
Played 1 | Won 0 | Lost 0 | NR 1
India had lost the first match of the series to Pakistan. In the absence of Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath led the side at Sialkot on that ill-fated October day in 1984. India had put up 210 for three in their 40 overs.
Before Pakistan could resume the chase, the match was abandoned as a draw after news of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination broke. As a result, the rest of the tour was also called off.
9. Ravi Shastri (1987-91)
Played 11 | Won 4 | Lost 7 | NR 36.36%
In Kapil Dev's absence, Shastri led India against Pakistan in Indore. India lost the match despite a fifty and a three-for from Shastri. The following year, with regular captain Dilip Vengsarkar out with injury and later a ban, Shastri got to lead India.
He lost five out of the six ODIs he captained against West Indies. Two months later, he led India to a Sharjah Cup win in a tri-nation tournament, producing a Man-of-the-Match performance in the final.
Later in his career, he led India in Mohammad Azharuddin's absence in the final ODI against South Africa in 1991. Although Shastri scored a hundred in that match, South Africa won the game.
10. Dilip Vengsarkar (1987-89)
Played 18 | Won 8 | Lost 10 | Success 44.44%
Dilip Vengsarkar succeeded Kapil Dev as the Indian captain despite the controversy surrounding him missing the 1987 World Cup semi-final. The stylish batsman from Mumbai had a turbulent phase as captain.
Among the highs, he won the 1988 Asia Cup in Bangladesh and won four consecutive matches against New Zealand at home the same year. However, a strained relationship with the BCCI and a disastrous tour of the West Indies saw him lose the job.
11. Kris Srikkanth (1989)
Played 13 | Won 4 | Lost 8 | NR 1 | Success 33.33%
Kris Srikkanth didn’t enjoy a great run as the Indian captain. However, under his captaincy, a teenaged Sachin Tendulkar debuted for India during the tour of Pakistan. Following the tour, Srikkanth was dropped from the side.