Leading from the front: Most ODI runs by an Indian captain
Captaining the Indian cricket team is considered one of the toughest jobs in cricket. Alongside the enormous scrutiny from the public and media, the captain has to coordinate between players coming from different cultures. India have traditionally appointed their best batsman as their captain. Here are five Indians who have scored the most ODI runs while leading the nation.
5. Rahul Dravid – 2658 runs
Renowned for his extraordinary batting skills in Test cricket, Dravid’s ODI record does not get the recognition it deserves. Leading India in the time span between 2000 to 2007, the Wall scored 2658 runs in 79 appearances. He struck only two centuries but managed 25 half-centuries. He gave up the leadership after India exited from the 2007 World Cup.
4. Sourav Ganguly – 5082 runs
Ganguly’s leadership remains a very memorable phase for the Indian cricket fans. Shaken by the match-fixing allegations, India needed a fresh start and the left-hander was up to the task. In his 146 matches as a captain, Ganguly scored 5000-plus runs with 11 centuries and 30 half-centuries.
3. Mohammed Azharuddin – 5239 runs
Leading India in 174 ODIs, Azharuddin struck 5000-plus runs with four hundreds and 37 fifties. The stylish batsman from Hyderabad was a spectacular batsman himself. He captained India in the time period between 1990 and 1999. He was removed from the team as the match-fixing allegations came to the fore.
2. Virat Kohli – 5449 runs
As an Indian captain, Kohli has scored almost 5500 runs and he’s yet to complete 100 ODIs as the national leader. His astounding rate of scoring makes him a modern legend. He already owns the record for scoring the most ODI centuries for India. With 21 ODI centuries, he is only one century behind Australia’s Ricky Ponting of grabbing the world record.
1. MS Dhoni – 6641 runs
Fondly remembered as India’s best captain of all-time, Dhoni contributed with the bat while playing his role behind the stumps. His tally stands second in ODIs, once again, behind Ricky Ponting. The Ranchi superstar led India in exactly 200 ODIs. He scored six centuries and 47 half-centuries.
