– Format: Test Cricket only – Captaincy Period: 1947–1952 Details: Lala Amarnath was India’s first-ever captain post-independence.
Lala Amarnath (1947–1952)
Image Credit: Times of India
– Format: Test Cricket only – Captaincy Period: 1962–1975 Details: Pataudi captained India in Test cricket for 13 years. He did not lead India in ODIs, as they began after his time in 1974.
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (1962–1975)
Image Credit: Sportskeeda.com
– Formats: Test & ODI – Captaincy Period: 1982–1987 Details: Kapil Dev captained India in both Test and ODI formats. Under his leadership, India won its first-ever ICC Cricket World Cup in 1983.
Kapil Dev (1982–1987)
Image Credit: Smensxp
– Formats: Test & ODI – Captaincy Period: 1990–1999 Details: Azharuddin was one of India’s longest-serving captains, leading in Test and ODI formats. He captained in 47 Tests and 174 ODIs during his career.
Mohammad Azharuddin (1990–1999)
Image Credit: Twitter
– Formats: Test & ODI – Captaincy Period: 2000–2005 Details: Ganguly is credited with changing India’s approach to cricket, especially overseas.
Sourav Ganguly (2000–2005)
Image Credit: Circle of Cricket
– Format: Test Cricket only – Captaincy Period: 2005–2007 Details: Known for his calm leadership and technical skills, he led India to notable Test victories, including in the West Indies.
Rahul Dravid (2005–2007)
Image Credit: Cricket World Cup
– Formats: Test & ODI – Captaincy Period: 2000–2005 Details: Ganguly is credited with changing India’s approach to cricket, especially overseas.
MS Dhoni (2007–2017)
Image Credit: Vouge India
– Formats: Test, ODI & T20I – Captaincy Period: 2013–2022 (ODI & T20I); 2014–2022 (Test) Details: Kohli is known for his aggressive captaincy and led India to become the No.1 Test team during his tenure.
Virat Kohli (2013–2022)
Image Credit:: Britannica
– Formats: Test & ODI – Captaincy Period: 2022–Present (as of 2025) Details: Rohit Sharma led India to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy win.
Rohit Sharma (2022–Present)
Image Credit:: Zee News