As
Indian cricket bids farewell to legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, a new era
begins with Shubman Gill, 25, appointed as the captain for the
upcoming five-match Test series against England starting June 20, 2025. This
leadership change marks a significant moment in India’s Test cricket journey
that began in 1932.
India’s Men’s Test Captains: A Complete Historical List with Years (1932–2025)
As India prepares for the upcoming five-match Test series in England beginning June 20, 2025.
Since India’s debut in Test cricket
in 1932, 36 players have captained the team in 589 matches.
A Glimpse
Into Indian Test Captaincy History
- First Test Captain: Colonel C. K. Nayudu (1932–1934)
- First Test Victory February 10, 1952, under Vijay
Hazare vs England at Chennai:
- First Overseas Test Series Win: 1967-68 tour of New Zealand
under Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Most
Successful Captains
Only five
Indian Test captains have won 10 or more matches:
|
Captain |
Matches
as Captain |
Wins |
Win % |
|
Virat Kohli |
68 |
40 |
58.82% |
|
Mahendra
Singh Dhoni |
60 |
27 |
45.00% |
|
Sourav
Ganguly |
49 |
21 |
42.86% |
|
Mohammad
Azharuddin |
47 |
14 |
29.79% |
|
Rohit
Sharma |
24 |
12 |
50.00% |
Virat Kohli
leads as the most successful Indian Test captain with a winning rate close to
59%.
Full List
of India’s Men’s Test Captains (1932 – 2025) with Captaincy Years
|
No. |
Captain |
Years as Captain |
Played |
Won |
Lost |
Drawn/Tied |
Win % |
|
1 |
C. K. Nayudu |
1932–1934 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
2 |
Maharajkumar of Vizianagram |
1936–1937 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
3 |
Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi |
1946–1947 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
|
4 |
Lala Amarnath |
1947–1952 |
15 |
2 |
6 |
7 |
13.33 |
|
5 |
Vijay Hazare |
1951–1952 |
14 |
1 |
5 |
8 |
7.14 |
|
6 |
Vinoo Mankad |
1955 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
|
7 |
Ghulam Ahmed |
1955 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
8 |
Polly Umrigar |
1958–1960 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
25 |
|
9 |
Hemu Adhikari |
1960 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
10 |
Datta Gaekwad |
1961–1962 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
11 |
Pankaj Roy |
1963 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
12 |
Gulabrai Ramchand |
1964–1965 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
20 |
|
13 |
Nari Contractor |
1965–1966 |
12 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
16.67 |
|
14 |
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi |
1962–1969 |
40 |
9 |
19 |
12 |
22.5 |
|
15 |
Chandu Borde |
1969 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
16 |
Ajit Wadekar |
1970–1974 |
16 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
25 |
|
17 |
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan |
1978–1979 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
|
18 |
Sunil Gavaskar |
1978–1985 |
47 |
9 |
8 |
30 |
19.14 |
|
19 |
Bishan Singh Bedi |
1979–1981 |
22 |
6 |
11 |
5 |
27.27 |
|
20 |
Gundappa Viswanath |
1981 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
21 |
Kapil Dev |
1983–1987 |
34 |
4 |
7 |
23 |
11.76 |
|
22 |
Dilip Vengsarkar |
1987–1988 |
10 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
20 |
|
23 |
Ravi Shastri |
1990 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
100 |
|
24 |
Krishnamachari Srikkanth |
1990 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
|
25 |
Mohammad Azharuddin |
1990–1999 |
47 |
14 |
14 |
19 |
29.79 |
|
26 |
Sachin Tendulkar |
1996–1998 |
25 |
4 |
9 |
12 |
16 |
|
27 |
Sourav Ganguly |
2000–2005 |
49 |
21 |
13 |
15 |
42.86 |
|
28 |
Rahul Dravid |
2005–2007 |
25 |
8 |
6 |
11 |
32 |
|
29 |
Virender Sehwag |
2008 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
50 |
|
30 |
Anil Kumble |
2007–2008 |
14 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
21.42 |
|
31 |
Mahendra Singh Dhoni |
2008–2014 |
60 |
27 |
18 |
15 |
45 |
|
32 |
Virat Kohli |
2014–2022 |
68 |
40 |
17 |
11 |
58.82 |
|
33 |
Ajinkya Rahane |
2021–2022 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
66.67 |
|
34 |
KL Rahul |
2022–2023 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
66.67 |
|
35 |
Rohit Sharma |
2021–2025 |
24 |
12 |
9 |
3 |
50 |
|
36 |
Jasprit Bumrah |
2023 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
33.33 |
Shubman
Gill Named India’s 37th Men’s Test Captain for England Tour 2025
India cricket has entered a new era as Shubman Gill, aged 25, was officially appointed captain of the Indian men’s Test team for the upcoming five-match series against England starting June 20, 2025. With senior legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli recently retiring from Test cricket, the right-handed batter from Fazilka, Punjab, is set to take the mantle and lead India forward.
Shubman
Gill: The New Captain
Gill
made his Test debut in 2020 and has played 32 matches,
accumulating 1,893 runs including five centuries. The senior
selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, confirmed his appointment at the BCCI
headquarters in Mumbai.
Rishabh
Pant was named as vice-captain and wicketkeeper, providing crucial support to
Gill for the England tour.
India’s
Squad for England Tour 2025
The squad
blends experience with promising new talent:
New
Entrants: Tamil
Nadu’s B Sai Sudharsan and pacer Arshdeep Singh received maiden
call-ups.
Returns: Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur have
been recalled.
Dropped: Pacer Mohammed Shami was excluded due
to fitness concerns.
The
batting group includes KL
Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Dhruv Jurel, who has been
picked as the second wicketkeeper. Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Thakur
and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been selected as the all-rounders while Jasprit
Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Arshdeep and Prasidh Krishna were picked as
the pacers. Kuldeep Yadav is the only specialist spinner in the team.
The series,
which will be India's first in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle,
starts on June 20 in Headingley. The last of the five Tests starts at the
Oval on July 31.
India’s squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi
Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy,
Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit
Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep
Yadav.
Final
Thoughts
India’s Test
captaincy has been led by legends who shaped the team’s legacy. As a new leader
steps in, fans hope for a renewed era of success and glory.
Stay tuned as
this exciting chapter unfolds!