A good captain is what every team needs to be successful in any sport. A good captain leads the team by example and under whom his teammates are ready to go to war. There have been some great captains in the game of cricket. However, in this list, we’ll be focused on the Test format of cricket. Captaining your side with the same intensity and result for five long days should always be a thing to applaud, and in this list, we have some of the best to do so. Here are the top 10 most successful captains in test cricket history.
1. Sir Viv Richards
Sir Viv Richards holds the aura of a leader when he’s on the pitch. The attitude he used to show as a fearless batsman, smashing the best bowlers in the world without even wearing a helmet, does give him a captain look. Other than his personality, by stats, he’s one of the best. Sir Viv captained the most ferocious West Indies we’ve ever seen. Sir Viv Richards led the West Indies in 50 tests, winning 27, drawing 15, and losing only 8. He had a win percentage of 54%.
2. Hansi Cronje
Hansi Cronje is probably the name on this list who is the least known to the new-age cricket fans. Hansi captained the South African team in the 1990s, known for his outstanding man-management skills. When people talk about him, they talk about him as a charismatic leader who never backed out of making bold decisions. He captained South Africa in 53 matches and won 27 games, drawing 15 and losing 11. He had a 50.94% win percentage.
3. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Arguably, he is the best captain ever in the cricketing history. However, in this list, we’re talking about the most successful test captains, so he takes the 8th position. Dhoni captained the Indian Test team for a big chunk of the 2010s and took India to new heights. He is someone who transformed teams, brought up youngsters, and gave a backbone to the team for the years to come. As an Indian captain, he captained 60 test matches, winning 27, drawing 15, and losing 18. He had a win percentage of 45%.
4. Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming was always known for his tactical thinking and approach to the games, both as a captain and a coach. Fleming led the New Zealand Test team, and at a time when they were not said to be the best of the sides, Stephen was taking them to some heights they had never touched. His ability to take something out of nothing was very well-known among the players of his time. In his test captaincy career, he captained 80 games, winning 28 of them, drawing 25, and losing 27.
5. Allan Border
Allan Border isn’t getting the credit he should get as he led the Australian Cricket Team at a very challenging time. He was not captaining the Australian team that dominated every opposition they played, but he led his team to become one such force. In the 93 test matches that he was the captain, Allan won 32, drawing 38 and losing 22. He had a win percentage of 34.41%.
6. Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd, just like Sir Viv Richards had that captain’s aura with his personality. Clive Lloyd led the greatest generation of the West Indies team that dominated the Cricketing world. Lloyd was a man of a calm demeanor, leadership, and someone who wanted unity in his team. Clive Lloyd captained the West Indies in 74 games, winning 36, drawing 26, and losing 12.
7. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has shown how great of a leader he is. In 2014, when another great captain, MS Dhoni, left the captaincy unexpectedly, Virat stood to the occasion and never looked back. Virat’s India showed great passion, intensity, and fearlessness, which was not something that India had shown before. He had an aggressive style of captaincy, and his records show it was very successful. Virat captained the Indian test team in 67 games, won 40, drew 11, and lost 17.
8. Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh captained one of the most dominant teams of all time in Australia. He is one of the best captains in the Test Cricket format. Waugh was known for his never-give-up attitude and took Australia to the top of the world. He was someone that his teammates looked up to. Of the 57 test games captained, Waugh won 41, drew seven, and lost just 9. He had a win percentage of 71.93%.
9. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting is also one of the best captains in cricket history. Ricky Ponting made the Australian team unbeatable in almost every country they would play in. Ponting was known as an aggressive captain who would push his teammates to their limits to perform well. He led by example for his country. He captained the Australian test team in 77 matches, winning 48, drawing 13 and losing 16. His win percentage was 62.34%.
10. Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith is the longest-serving test captain in cricket history and the test captain with the most test wins. Graeme Smith showed his leadership skills at a very young age, which got him the captaincy of the South African team. He made the Proteas a force to be reckoned with his determination and leading-from-the-front attitude. He led the South African Test team in 109 matches, from which he won 53, drew 27, and lost 29.
