Mahendra Singh Dhoni equals Ricky Ponting's record for most international matches as captain
Termed as one of India’s most successful cricket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni added another feather to his hat when he stepped onto the field to ply his trade against Zimbabwe in the last and final T20 match of the series. Playing his 324th international match in Indian colours as skipper, MS Dhoni equalled stylish batsman Ricky Ponting’s record for the most matches played as an international captain.
Here we try to look at the achievements of the two most successful captains.
Ricky Ponting as Captain:
Ricky Ponting, having made his debut in 1995 against South Africa went on to play 168 tests, 375 ODIs and 17 T20Is for Australia, captaining the side in the 324 matches he played combined across all formats. Boasting of the highest win percentage by a captain in ODIs, Ponting has led Australia to several famous title victories and has emerged as one of the best captains the game has witnessed.
Ponting displayed aggressive and bold captaincy during his tenure. Making his debut as captain in 2002, he won his first series as captain against South Africa down-under. In his first stint as World Cup captain in 2003, Ponting led the Aussies to a stunning title victory, grabbing the cup while remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament.
In 2005, Ponting captained the Aussies against the ICC World XI which Australia won comfortably by a huge margin of 120 runs.
After successive failures as captain in the Ashes and a set of series away from home, Ponting came back strong at the Champions Trophy in 2006, where Australia beat India to claim the trophy under Ponting for the first time.
In 2007, Ponting brought home the World Cup to Australia, thus completing a hat-trick of World Cup victories, two of which were shepherded by Ponting himself. Retiring in 2013 from all formats, Ponting left behind a legacy and found himself a spot amongst the names of great captains around the globe.
Here’s a look into Ponting’s captaincy records.
| Format | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Tied | No Result | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 77 | 48 | 16 | 7 | - | - | 62.34% |
| ODI | 229 | 164 | 51 | - | 2 | 12 | 71.62% |
| T20 | 17 | 7 | 10 | - | - | - | 41.18% |
Mahendra Singh Dhoni as Captain :
Hailed as one of India’s best captains by several players who have served the game and one of the best finishers, Dhoni continues to lead the men in blue in the limited overs fixtures. Taking over the ODI captaincy mantle from Rahul Dravid in 2007, Dhoni led India to their first ever bilateral series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Apart from this, Dhoni has led India to several other global titles. Under his captaincy, India went on to win the inaugural ICC World T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 2011 ICC World Cup where he came up with a man-of-the-match performance in the finals with a marvellous 91*.
Overcoming an English challenge in the finals of the Champions Trophy in 2013, Dhoni marked his name as the first captain to win all three ICC limited-overs trophies.
Serving as full-time test captain from 2008 taking over from Anil Kumble, Dhoni led India to series wins over West Indies and New Zealand. In 2009, India held the numero-uno position in tests under him. In 2013, Dhoni became the first Indian captain to whitewash an Australian team in a test series.
He holds the record as the first Indian captain to win 100 ODI matches as well as captaining the side for 300 international matches. Adding to his, he is the only captain to have led his side in 50 or more matches in each of the formats. He retired from test cricket as the most successful Indian test captain and has the highest win percentage as captain in T20Is.
Here’s a look into Dhoni’s captaincy records.
| Format | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Tied | No Result | Win % |
| Test | 60 | 27 | 18 | 15 | - | - | 45% |
| ODI | 194 | 107 | 72 | - | 4 | 11 | 59.56% |
| T20 | 70 | 41 | 27 | - | 1 | 1 | 60.14% |