As cricket fans, we have seen many captains who contribute their skills and abilities to prove their potential. In this blog, we will discuss who is the best captain in the world and the most successful captain in cricket.
What Makes a Cricket Captain the Best in the World?
All cricket team captains try to make their team play well and win games. To be referred to as the world’s best captain, a player must be a good leader and have intelligent plans for the game. A good captain is a person whom the entire team respects and believes in. They understand how to extract the best from every player and lead the team confidently.
Best Cricket Captain in the world
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is known for his calm personality and handling pressure in hard situations on the field. He has experienced every formet of cricket and succeeded in every type of cricket on the field. He can make the right decision to dominate the opponent. His skills and ability make him the world best cricket captain. In 2025, MS Dhoni was honoured with the ICC Hall of Fame.
List of the Best Cricket Captains in the World
Sr. No. | Player | Team | Span | Matches Captained | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage |
1 | MS Dhoni | India | 2007-2018 | 332 | 178 | 120 | 53.61 |
2 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 2002-2012 | 324 | 220 | 77 | 67.9 |
3 | Stephen Fleming | New Zealand | 1997-2007 | 303 | 128 | 135 | 42.24 |
4 | Graeme Smith | South Africa | 2003-2014 | 286 | 163 | 89 | 56.99 |
5 | Allan Border | Australia | 1984-1994 | 271 | 139 | 89 | 51.29 |
6 | Arjuna Ranatunga | Sri Lanka | 1988-1999 | 249 | 101 | 114 | 40.56 |
7 | Mohammad Azharuddin | India | 1990-1999 | 221 | 104 | 90 | 47.05 |
8 | Virat Kohli | India | 2013-2022 | 213 | 135 | 60 | 63.38 |
9 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 2012-2024 | 202 | 105 | 82 | 51.94 |
10 | Eoin Morgan | England | 2011-2022 | 198 | 118 | 67 | 59.59 |
11 | Saurav Ganguly | India | 1999-2005 | 196 | 97 | 79 | 49.48 |
12 | Hansie Cronje | South Africa | 1994-2000 | 191 | 126 | 46 | 65.96 |
13 | Imran Khan | Pakistan | 1982-1992 | 187 | 89 | 67 | 47.59 |
14 | Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 2004-2013 | 186 | 101 | 67 | 54.3 |
15 | Brian Lara | West Indies | 1994-2007 | 172 | 69 | 85 | 40.11 |
16 | William Porterfield | Ireland | 2008-2019 | 172 | 76 | 84 | 44.18 |
17 | Steve Waugh | Australia | 1997-2004 | 163 | 108 | 44 | 66.25 |
18 | Clive Lloyd | West Indies | 1974-1985 | 158 | 100 | 30 | 63.29 |
19 | Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 1998-2003 | 156 | 84 | 59 | 53.84 |
20 | Angelo Matthews | Sri Lanka | 2012-2021 | 156 | 68 | 75 | 43.58 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo.com
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India)
Whenever someone talks about MS Dhoni, we quickly think of his calm personality and the journey he has made as world best cricket captain. He is also known as Captain Cool, a person who can change a tough game behind the wicket.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has captained 332 international matches in the history of cricket, which is higher than anyone in cricket. As the captain, India became the number one Test team during 2009-2010. His T20 franchise, Chennai Super Kings, won the league five times, and he also took India to victory in the Champions Trophy in 2013.
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Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Ricky Ponting was one of the most determined and focused cricket players in the world. He was also one of the great fielders the world has ever witnessed, and he always left a deep impression on the field. From 2002 to 2007, he was in top form, scoring 41 international centuries across all formats.
Ricky followed the path of former captain Steve Waugh and carried forward his winning legacy. His astute thought and robust leadership were evident in both Test and ODI cricket. Under his leadership as a captain, Australia won two World Cups, in 2003 and 2007, without dropping a solitary match in either tournament.
Graeme Smith (South Africa)
Graeme Smith was also very powerful and built strong, and his playing style was as tough as he was. He was extremely famous for his ability to hit the ball very powerfully, which affected cricket fans very much. Graeme Smith was made the captain of South Africa at the age of 22, making him the youngest captain in the history of South Africa.
He has a unique record of being the only captain to have appeared in over 100 Test matches and has won 53 of them. He has his finest moments as a captain during South Africa’s tours of Australia in 2008-2009 and 2012-2013, when the team played exceptionally well and had tremendous success.
The Most Successful captain in Test Cricket
Virat Kohli is the most successful captain in test cricket. He literally saved test cricket from fading. Here is a list of the most successful captains in test cricket
Sr. No. | Player | Team | Span | Matches Captained | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage |
1 | Graeme Smith | South Africa | 2003-2014 | 109 | 53 | 29 | 48.62 |
2 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 2004-2010 | 77 | 48 | 16 | 62.33 |
3 | Steve Waugh | Australia | 1999-2004 | 57 | 41 | 9 | 71.92 |
4 | Virat Kohli | India | 2014-2022 | 26 | 84 | 0 | 58.82 |
5 | Clive Lloyd | West Indies | 1974-1985 | 74 | 36 | 12 | 48.64 |
The most Successful Captain in ODI Cricket
In India, MS Dhoni is the most successful captain in ODI cricket. Here is the list of the most successful captains in ODI cricket
Sr. No. | Player | Team | Span | Matches Captained | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage |
1 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 2002-2012 | 230 | 165 | 51 | 62.33 |
2 | MS Dhoni | India | 2007-2018 | 200 | 110 | 74 | 55 |
3 | Allan Border | Australia | 1985-1994 | 178 | 107 | 67 | 60.11 |
4 | Hansie Cronje | South Africa | 1994-2000 | 138 | 99 | 35 | 71.73 |
5 | Stephen Fleming | New Zealand | 1997-2007 | 218 | 98 | 106 | 44.95 |
The Most Successful Captain in T20 Cricket
Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in T20 cricket by having won 50 T20 matches.
Sr. No. | Player | Team | Span | Matches Captained | Wins | Losses | Win Percentage |
1 | Rohit Sharma | India | 2017-2024 | 63 | 50 | 12 | 79.03 |
2 | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 2019-2024 | 85 | 48 | 29 | 56.47 |
3 | Brian Masaba | Uganda | 2021-2024 | 60 | 45 | 12 | 75 |
4 | Eoin Morgan | England | 2012-2022 | 72 | 42 | 27 | 58.33 |
5 | Asghar Afghan | Afghanistan | 2015-2021 | 52 | 42 | 9 | 80.76 |
6 | MS Dhoni | India | 2007-2016 | 72 | 41 | 28 | 56.94 |
World Best Cricket Captain: Conclusion
According to the cricket formats, many players contribute their best in it. For Test cricket, Virat Kohli is known, whereas in T20 cricket, Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain. But if we analyse overall, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the most successful captain in cricket. He contributes to every type of cricket format, which makes him world best cricket captain.