Even before Indian fans could recover from the grief of losing the ICC CWC 2023 despite reaching into the grand finale against Australia last Sunday, the latest announcement from BCCI has now left everyone stunned and dumbstruck.
In its latest press communique, the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) announced that Surya Kumar Yadav (SKY) would lead the Indian Men’s T20 squad in international matches.
With this announcement, India’s middle-order batter has become the 13th most successful cricketer to receive the captaincy baton.
The Indian cricket team made its T20I debut in December 2006 and has had 12 different captains leading the side in the shortest format of the game before Surya Kumar Yadav. Unfortunately, not all captains could lead the national side for long, and there have been frequent changes in the captaincy of India’s T20 squad for international matches due to captains’ injuries, absence due to personal reasons, or a drop in form.
However, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli have successfully represented India in 50+ T20Is. Additionally, Hardik Pandya also led India in 16 matches.
Setting aside these names, most other T20I captains have had the opportunity to lead India in very few matches (less than 10).
Statistically speaking, out of the 12 T20I captains who have represented India so far (not including SKY), only Virender Sehwag, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Suresh Raina have achieved a perfect 100%-win record as a captain.
List: T20I Captains of India
| Player | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | NR |
| V Sehwag | 2006-2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MS Dhoni | 2007-2016 | 72 | 41 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| SK Raina | 2010-2011 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AM Rahane | 2015-2015 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| V Kohli | 2017-2021 | 50 | 30 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| RG Sharma | 2017-2022 | 51 | 39 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S Dhawan | 2021-2021 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RR Pant | 2022-2022 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| HH Pandya | 2022-2023 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| KL Rahul | 2022-2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JJ Bumrah | 2023-2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RD Gaikwad | 2023-2023 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
India’s T20I Skippers with 100% Win Records
Suresh Raina captained India’s T20I squad during 2010-2011, leading India in three T20Is, winning each of them!
Bumrah led the Indian Men’s Senior T20I squad earlier this year in two matches, convincingly winning both of them.
Also, KL Rahul and Virender Sehwag led the Indian T20I side in one match each, recording victories on both occasions.
Some other players who led India’s T20 squad are Rahane, Dhawan, Pant, and Gaikwad. But their captaincy record is not up to the mark.
India’s Most Successful T20 Captains with Most Victories (Minimum 50 T20Is)
Hardik Pandya (2022-2023)
The famed all-rounder Hardik led India in 16 T20 Internationals since last year, winning 10 of them. He managed to achieve a victory rate of 62.5%, showcasing his immaculate leadership skills in the shortest format of the game. He was out of action in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 because of injury.
Many experts believed Hardik’s absence was a major setback in India’s loss in the 2023 World Cup Finale held in Ahmedabad last Sunday.
Pandya could have been a major force to reckon with in the grand finale. He has played 10 World Cup matches in his career, with 237 runs and 15 wickets to his credit.
Virat Kohli (2017-2021)
Next on the list is India’s batting stalwart, ‘Virat Kohli.’ He was appointed as the new T20I captain in 2017 and retained that post until 2021.
In his four-year captaincy period, the 35-year-old maintained an impressive record of 30 victories from 50 T20I matches at a winning rate of 58.82%.
The batting maestro successfully led India into the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 but couldn’t advance to the knockout round. India finished third in the group point table of Pool B with 3 wins from 5 matches.
Rohit Sharma (2017-2022)
India’s veteran batsman Rohit Sharma was appointed the nation’s all-format captain in 2022. However, from now onwards, the ‘Hitman’ will now lead India in ODIs and Test matches, while Surya will be leading India’s T20I squad.
Over the years, Rohit has proved himself to be an able captain and leader, who leads from the front. It was his captaincy that saw India reach the grand finale of ICC 2023 CWC and remain the runner-up in the coveted tournament.
In addition, Rohit also has a stellar record of winning the most IPL trophies (5 times) for Mumbai Indians as a captain. He shares the record with MS Dhoni, who also won the IPL trophy five times for CSK (Chennai Super Kings) as a captain.
Rohit Sharma helped India clinch the Nidahas Trophy 2018, and took India to the top of the ICC T20I ranking. Rohit enjoys the captaincy record of 39 wins from 51 T20I matches he captained so far while maintaining a stellar winning rate of 76.47%.
MS Dhoni (2007-2016)
MS Dhoni, the most successful Indian captain ever, has left an indelible impact as a T20I skipper. He led India for a long 9 years, guiding India to its first-ever ICC World Cup victory, beating the arch-rival Pakistan in ICC 2007 T20 World Cup at Johannesburg. Until his retirement, MSD led India in 72 matches, winning 41 of them and losing only on 28 occasions.
In addition, Dhoni’s awe-inspiring captaincy at the IPL tournament saw CSK become the most successful team in the IPL with 5 tournament victories over the years. Now, MI and CSK share the record for the most IPL tournament wins. Both have won the tournament five times each (the most by any IPL team).
Dhoni’s winning rate as a captain is around 57%, but what is more surprising is the kind of consistency he’s maintained over the years to remain India’s most beloved cricket captain ever. For his calm behavior and cool demeanor, he has rightly been called Captain Cool or Thalaiva by fans and his teammates.
Besides the ICC T20 World Cup 2007, Dhoni has also successfully helped India win the 2011 World Cup, the 2013 Champions Trophy, and several other bilateral series and triangular contests as well.
In Conclusion
Leading a national squad in the shortest format of the game is no mean task. Be it Dhoni, Rohit, or Virat, all of them have proved their mettle in it. Now, it would be interesting to see how the emerging middle-order star Surya Kumar Yadav would take the baton and lead India to many more victories in the upcoming T20 matches and tournaments.
No doubt, he has now got the chance to lead the side; his every move and record will be scrutinized by fans and experts. He has to take the challenges head-on to prove his real worth as India’s T20I skipper.
