| Test captain | Period | Tests | Won | Lost | Draw/Tie | Win/loss % |
| 1. CK Nayudu | 1932-34 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1/0 | 0.00/75.00% |
| 2. Maharajkumar | 1936 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1/0 | 0.00/66.66% |
| 3. N Pataudi | 1946 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2/0 | 0.00/33.33% |
| 4. L Amarnath | 1947-52 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7/0 | 13.33/40.00% |
| 5. V Hazare | 1951-53 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8/0 | 7.14/35.71% |
| 6. V Mankad | 1954-59 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5/0 | 0.00/16.66% |
| 7. G Ahmed | 1955-59 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1/0 | 0.00/66.66% |
| 8. P Umrigar | 1955-59 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4/0 | 25.00/25.00% |
| 9. H Adhikari | 1958-59 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1/0 | 0.00/0.00% |
| 10. D Gaekwad | 1959 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0/0 | 0.00/100.00% |
| 11. P Roy | 1959 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0.00/100.00% |
| 12. G Ramchand | 1959-60 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2/0 | 20.00/40.00% |
| 13. N Contractor | 1960-62 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 8/0 | 16.66/16.66% |
| 14. MAK Pataudi | 1961-75 | 40 | 9 | 19 | 12/0 | 22.50/47.50% |
| 15. C Borde | 1967 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0.00/100.00% |
| 16. A Wadekar | 1970-74 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8/0 | 25.00/25.00% |
| 17. S Venkatraghavan | 1974-79 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3/0 | 0.00/40.00% |
| 18. S Gavaskar | 1975-85 | 47 | 9 | 8 | 30/0 | 19.14/17.02% |
| 19. BS Bedi | 1975-79 | 22 | 6 | 11 | 5/0 | 27.27/50.00% |
| 20. G Viswanath | 1979-80 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1/0 | 0.00/50.00% |
| 21. Kapil Dev | 1982-87 | 34 | 4 | 7 | 22/1 | 11.76/20.58% |
| 22. D Vengsarkar | 1987-89 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3/0 | 20.00/50.00% |
| 23. R Shastri | 1988 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 100.00/0.00% |
| 24. K Srikkanth | 1989-90 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4/0 | 0.00/0.00% |
| 25. M Azharuddin | 1990-99 | 47 | 14 | 14 | 19/0 | 29.78/29.78% |
| 26. S Tendulkar | 1996-2000 | 25 | 4 | 9 | 12/0 | 16.00/36.00% |
| 27. S Ganguly | 2000-05 | 49 | 21 | 13 | 15/0 | 42.85/26.53% |
| 28. R Dravid | 2003-07 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11/0 | 32.00/24.00% |
| 29. V Sehwag | 2005-12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1/0 | 50.00/25.00% |
| 30. A Kumble | 2007-08 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6/0 | 21.42/35.71% |
| 31. MS Dhoni | 2008-14 | 60 | 27 | 18 | 15/0 | 45.00/30.00% |
| 32. V Kohli | 2014-18 | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10/0 | 56.52/21.73% |
| 33. A Rahane | 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 100.00/0.00% |
Last update: 7 Jan 2019
FAQs
Who was India’s first Test captain?
CK Nayudu was the first to lead India in Test matches, though he did so before India attained independence. Nayudu led India in just four Tests between 1932 and 1934, losing three and drawing one.
Lala Amarnath was the first Indian Test captain post-independence. He led India for five years and in 15 Test matches, winning two, losing six and drawing seven.
Who is the most successful Indian Test captain?
MS Dhoni, with 27 wins from 60 Test matches as captain, is currently the most successful. Sourav Ganguly, with 21 victories from 49 Tests, is the second-most successful Indian Test captain.
How many Test match captains have India had?
So far, India have had 33 Test captains, who have led the national cricket team in at least one Test match, with Ajinkya Rahane being the latest.
What is Virat Kohli’s captaincy record in Test cricket?
Though in his early days as skipper, Kohli has the highest win percentage (62.50%). He has lost just three of the 32 Tests as captain and won 20. He has drawn nine Tests.
About Indian Test captains
One of the primary reasons India drew many Tests in the 1980s, 1990s and even in the 2000s was because of the defensive mindsets of former Indian Test captains, who weren’t prepared to risk losing a Test match in a bid to secure a win. Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and MS Dhoni come to mind as captains who were defensive in their approaches, rarely took gambles and consequently drew many Test matches.
Virat Kohli differs from the troika aforementioned. In his three-year stint as Indian Test captain so far, Kohli has been inclined to go for victories even if doing so involves the risk of India losing a Test. The Adelaide Test against Australia in December 2014 comes to mind instantly and Kohli is also bringing about a change in the Indian mentality, which was to beef up the batting, put runs on the board and bring the spinners into play. Instead, he has looked to play five genuine bowlers whenever possible.
Therefore, with Kohli at the helm, we are seeing an Indian captain who wants to win Test matches and because of his mentality, Tests involving India are exciting to watch. Aren’t they?