Mahendra Singh Dhoni, from first captaining Team India against Australian in 2007, has travelled a long way. The attacking right-hander, after winning the fourth one-dayer against England at Edgbaston, has become India’s most successful ODI skipper.
Dhoni’s first outing as a captain against Australia wasn’t that great, as Team India lost the ODI series 4-2 at home. He, however, led the young brigade to a historic series win in Australia and from then onwards there was no looking back for the captain fantastic.
After leading India to World Twenty20 Championship triumph, the Ranchi-born also inspired the young team to clinch the ICC World Cup and the Champions Trophy. There are no two ways that Dhoni’s captaincy has grown from strength to strength in recent years and he has been an inspirational leader for the men in blue.
Dhoni, after surpassing former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin’s 90 wins record, is closing on to become first Indian captain to win 100 matches. Third on the list is Sourav Ganguly (76), followed by Rahul Dravid (42) and Kapil Dev (39).
The 33-year-old in the ongoing England tour was the standout performer for Team India, despite facing sharp criticism in the Test series. He spent most time on the crease and was the fourth highest run getter behind Joe Root, Gary Balance and teammate Murali Vijay.
Dhoni’s stature as a master tactician and captain has grown, following India’s three back-to-back wins over England in the limited-overs series.
List of India’s most successful ODI skippers:
| # | Captain | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Win % |
| 1 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | 162 | 91 | 57 | 4 | 61.18 |
| 2 | Mohammad Azharuddin | 174 | 90 | 76 | 2 | 54.16 |
| 3 | Sourav Ganguly | 147 | 76 | 66 | 0 | 53.52 |
| 4 | Rahul Dravid | 79 | 42 | 33 | 0 | 56.00 |
| 5 | Kapil Dev | 74 | 39 | 33 | 0 | 54.16 |
