Shreyas Iyer on Friday became the 29th player to captain India in men’s One Day International (ODI) cricket. The right-handed batter has been handed the leadership responsibility for the fourth and fifth
ODIs against New Zealand in the absence of regular skipper Shubman Gill.
Iyer’s appointment places him among an illustrious group of Indian cricketers who have had the opportunity to lead the national team in the 50-over format. India’s ODI captaincy history dates back to 1974, when Ajit Wadekar led the country in its first-ever ODI against England at Headingley.
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Complete list of India’s 29 ODI captains
Here is the chronological list of all 29 players who have captained India in men’s ODI cricket:
1. Ajit Wadekar
2. S Venkataraghavan
3. Bishan Singh Bedi
4. Sunil Gavaskar
5. Gundappa Viswanath
6. Kapil Dev
7. Syed Kirmani
8. Mohinder Amarnath
9. Ravi Shastri
10. Dilip Vengsarkar
11. Krishnamachari Srikkanth
12. Mohammad Azharuddin
13. Sachin Tendulkar
14. Ajay Jadeja
15. Sourav Ganguly
16. Rahul Dravid
17. Anil Kumble
18. Virender Sehwag
19. MS Dhoni
20. Suresh Raina
21. Gautam Gambhir
22. Virat Kohli
23. Ajinkya Rahane
24. Rohit Sharma
25. Shikhar Dhawan
26. KL Rahul
27. Hardik Pandya
28. Shubman Gill
29. Shreyas Iyer
MS Dhoni holds the record for most matches as India’s ODI captain
MS Dhoni remains India’s most experienced ODI captain, having led the national team in 200 matches between 2007 and 2018. He registered 110 victories and guided India to the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
Kapil Dev also occupies a special place in Indian cricket history after leading the country to its maiden World Cup triumph in 1983. Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli played significant roles in shaping India’s competitive identity in international cricket.
Shreyas Iyer gets an important leadership opportunity
With Shubman Gill unavailable for the final two ODIs against New Zealand, Iyer has been entrusted with leading the Indian side. Becoming India’s 29th ODI captain is another significant milestone in his career.
