Best Captain In the World: Best Skippers Ever List
These players led their respective sides in an inspiring manner.
In Cricket, a captain’s responsibility is always difficult to handle in any format. A player can be called the best captain if he adapts to all three formats and produces the desired results for his team through his leadership qualities. A captain needs to earn the respect of his teammates with his friendly nature. He needs to listen to their opinions also.
In this piece, we will highlight the players who set a fine example of a leader through their captaincy. The captains mentioned in our list had different skill sets when it came to their decision-making in terms of the bowling changes and field placements but they their decisions were spot on. They had their own ways of taking decisions during pressure situations. We take a look at these captains who looked sharp in all formats.
10 Best Captains in Cricket History:
| RANK | PLAYER | NATION | DURATION | GAMES AS CAPTAIN | WINS | DEFEATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MS Dhoni | India | 2007-18 | 332 | 178 | 120 |
| 2 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 2002-12 | 324 | 220 | 77 |
| 3 | Stephen Fleming | New Zealand | 1997-2007 | 303 | 128 | 135 |
| 4 | Graeme Smith | South Africa | 2003-14 | 286 | 163 | 89 |
| 5 | Allan Border | Australia | 1984-1994 | 271 | 139 | 89 |
| 6 | Arjuna Ranatunga | Sri Lanka | 1988-1999 | 249 | 101 | 114 |
| 7 | Virat Kohli | India | 2013-22 | 213 | 135 | 60 |
| 8 | Steve Waugh | Australia | 1997-2004 | 163 | 108 | 44 |
| 9 | Eoin Morgan | England | 2011-2022 | 198 | 118 | 67 |
| 10 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 2012-2023 | 196 | 101 | 80 |
1. MS Dhoni -178 wins in 332 games
Arguably one of the best captains Indian cricket has ever produced so far. One of the greatest features of his captaincy was his ability to keep calm during pressure situations. Under his captaincy, India ranked number one in the 2009-10 test rankings. India won the world cup two times under his leadership (T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011) and the Champions Trophy in 2013.
The former wicketkeeper-batsman was known for his unconventional decision-making with respect to his bowling changes. As a captain, MS Dhoni has 178 wins to his name in 332 matches.
2. Ricky Ponting – 220 wins in 324 games
After Steve Waugh, Ponting took Australian cricket to newer heights. The former skipper was a fine batsman often bailing his team out when required. Under his leadership, Australia dominated world cricket and played an aggressive brand of cricket. Australia won two limited-overs world cups under his captaincy (2003 & 2007) and a Champions Trophy in 2006.
Ponting has 71 centuries to his name (Both test & ODIs). His greatest feature was his ability to take bold decisions in terms of field placements. He won 220 games in 324 matches as captain.
3. Graeme Smith – 163 wins in 286 matches
Smith was made the captain when most of the players make their debut as South African cricket was going through internal issues. He was made the captain at the age of just 22 as he became the youngest player to lead South Africa. His on-field decision-making reflected his persona.
He had risk-taking abilities when it came to bowling changes. he enjoyed the trust of senior players. He is the only skipper to appear in 100 tests. His leadership was most talked about when South Africa won the test series in Australia during the 2008-09 series and the 2012 series.
4. Steve Waugh – 108 wins in 163 matches
One of the most respected figures in the cricketing world, Steve Waugh is known for his charitable causes as well as his kind-hearted nature. The former skipper made Australia world beaters and took Australian cricket to great heights. He had the ability to keep calm under pressure. Australia won the 1999 world cup in England under his leadership.
Australia won 108 matches in 163 games under his captaincy and 41 tests in 57 matches under Waugh’s captaincy. He had a clever cricketing vision to create a group of players for the future. His cricketing intelligence was always highlighted by his out-of-the-box bowling changes and field placements. To date, Steve Waugh is the most successful captain in World Cricket.
5. Virat Kohli – 135 wins in 213 games
Kohlis’s leadership was highlighted when he scored his first century as captain during the 2014 Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia making him the 4th Indian player to score a hundred on debut as captain. The right-hander brought aggression into the outfit.
As a batsman, he has broken many records as he has so far scored 74 International centuries. His charismatic batting style was visible in his captaincy. As a captain, Kohli won 135 games in 213 matches.
Read More: Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni: Complete Stats and Captaincy Comparison
