The role of a captain in cricket is one of tremendous importance. He is the leader who has to rally his troops when they are in trouble and has to provide leadership to the team. He also has to have tactical nous and acumen and make the correct decisions on the field. It is extremely rare in cricket for a team to be successful without being led by a good captain. Over the years, India has had some good captains who have led their team to some famous triumphs. Here is a brief insight into 5 of India’s greatest ever leaders.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

No Indian has led his country in as many Tests as Dhoni (60). He also holds the record of the most matches captained by a wicket-keeper in Tests. The enormity of that achievement can be gauged from the fact that after Dhoni, the most Tests in which a wicket-keeper has led his team in Tests is just 21 by Mushfiqur Rahim. Dhoni has led India to famous series wins in New Zealand in 2009 and the West Indies in 2011. He preferred to trust his spinners over the pace bowlers and liked to take the pace off the ball. He has won 21 Tests as skipper of India at home which is the most by an Indian. He has scored the most Test runs as skipper of India with 3454 runs to his name. His overall record in Tests is Played-60, Won-27, Lost-18 and Drawn-15. He is without a doubt one of India’s greatest ever captains.

Sourav Ganguly

He was an astute leader who was famous for identifying young promising talent and steadfastly backing them and insisting on their selection to the selectors. A couple of examples of the players he backed are Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh. He was extremely passionate about his job and was capable of giving it back to the opposition. Under his captaincy India won Test series in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and drew Test series in Australia and England. He has won the most Tests by an Indian captain away from home with 11 wins to his name. His overall record as skipper in Tests is Played-49, Won-21, Lost-13 and drawn 15.

Mohammad Azharuddin

He made his captaincy debut in New Zealand in 1990 when he was a little inexperienced but learnt well on the job. During the early 1990s he led India to twin 3-0 triumphs against England and Sri Lanka. During those days India used to prepare turning tracks at home and unleash their trio of spinners on the opposition batsmen. He scored 9 centuries as captain of India which is the second most by an Indian. His overseas record isn’t as good as some other Indian skippers; however he has scored centuries in New Zealand and England that are still talked about to this day. His overall captaincy record is Played-47, Won-14, Lost-14 and Drawn 19.

Rahul Dravid

He became captain by default after Sourav Ganguly in 2005. He was not the kind of leader who was openly aggressive but he was fiercely determined and backed his boys to do the job. He led India to Test series wins in the West Indies in 2006 and in England in 2007. For the West Indies tour, India were without Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, but Dravid led the side calmly in his own inimitable way and they triumphed in the series. Dravid was known as ‘The Wall’ during his playing days and he carried that grit and determination to his captaincy. He was not one to display his emotions openly but had a steadfast resolve to do the job. He scored 1736 runs in 25 Tests as captain with 4 centuries. His overall record as captain is Played-25, Won-8, Lost-6 and drawn 11. Even though he did not have a long stint as captain he was one of India’s finest leaders.

Sunil Gavaskar

He is one of the greatest openers of all time and also one of India’s greatest batsmen ever. At one point of time he held the record for most Tests led by an Indian captain. He did not get the credit for his captaincy because India did not win too many Tests during his reign. However, he was tactically very shrewd and made the right moves on the field. He held the record for the most runs scored by an Indian skipper (3449) until it was broken by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He still holds the record for the most centuries scored by an Indian skipper with 11 tons. His overall captaincy record is Played-47, Won-9, Lost-8 and Drawn 30.

These are 5 legendary Indian captains who led their country with distinction.