India's Captains In ICC Events

In frame: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma (Source: AFP)

India played their first-ever cricket match in 1932, and over the past few decades, they have dominated world cricket, both at home and away. The Indian cricket team has one of the richest histories in the sport.  

At the centre of India’s dominance across formats have been their great captains. The Indian cricket team has seen several captains take on the role and deliver some of the most memorable leadership performances at events organised by the apex body of world cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

India’s Captains In ICC Events

So far, the Men in Blue have won eight ICC titles under four different captains. The first Indian captain to lead the country to an ICC title was Kapil Dev in the 1983 World Cup. 

This came when not many had given them a chance, but they went on to stun the world to win the trophy, including defeating the mighty West Indies in the final. 

After Kapil Dev, over the years, many captains have led the team, but no one has been able to replicate the success MS Dhoni achieved during his time. 

Also read: India's T20I Captains List

Among the 8 ICC trophies, three came under Dhoni’s captaincy. Notably, he remains the only captain in cricket history to win all three major limited-overs ICC tournaments: the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

That said, in this article, take a look at the list of captains who have led India across different ICC tournaments. 

ICC Men's T20 World Cup

ICC ODI Cricket World Cup

ICC Champions Trophy

World Test Championship (WTC)

FAQs: India’s Captains In ICC Events

Q.1. Which Indian captain won all ICC trophies?

Ans. MS Dhoni is the only Indian and international captain to have won all ICC trophies, including the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy. 

However, he has not won the coveted World Test Championship trophy, as the tournament was introduced in 2019, well after he retired from Test cricket in 2014. 

Q.2. Who is the best captain in ICC events?

Ans. Australian captain Ricky Ponting and Indian captain MS Dhoni are regarded as the best captains in ICC tournament history, sharing the record for the most major global limited-overs trophy won by a male player. 

For the unversed, Meg Lanning holds the overall record, having led Australia women to an unparalleled five global titles. 

Q.3. How many ICC events has Virat Kohli captained? 

Ans. The former Indian captain took over the reins after MS Dhoni. He led India in 4 major ICC tournaments: the 2017 Champions Trophy, the 2019 Men’s Cricket World Cup, the 2021 World Test Championship final, and the 2021 T20 World Cup. 

Q.4. Who is the king of ICC events?

Ans. Virat Kohli is the only player in cricket history to win 3 “Player of the Tournament” awards at major ICC events (2012 T20 World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup, and 2023 ODI World Cup), thus claiming the title of the undisputed ‘King’ of ICC events. 

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