most successful ODI Captains: The call to save ODI cricket is only getting louder with every passing day. It is one format that has surely fallen behind in the pecking order. T20I format continues to rule the roost while Tests still continue to thrive. But it is the ODI format that is at the crossroads.
Sandwiched between the other two, it is fighting for existence. But the format during its glory days was the one that excited fans the most. There have been many inspirational captains who have excelled in the format. Similarly, there have been few ODI captains whom the fans don’t particularly remember.
We look at 5 such forgotten ODI captains:
#5 Anil Kumble
He was known as the ultimate statesman. Anil Kumble was the leader who transitioned India into success. He was appointed as the Test captain post-Rahul Dravid’s shockingly quit Test captaincy. Kumble led the side impressively for over a year. His main captaincy highlight was the way he handled the team on a controversial tour to Australia. But not many remember that Kumble had also led the ODI side once in 2002. India went on to win the game.
#4 Azhar Ali
The ex-Pakistani skipper cuts a forlorn figure in shorter formats. In the aftermath of Pakistan’s poor performance in the 2015 World Cup, PCB handed over ODI captaincy to Azhar Ali. But the results achieved under his tenure were even more disastrous. Ali led the side in 31 ODIs winning just 12 among them and losing 18 games. He had a winning percentage of 38.71. Ali stepped down from captaincy in 2017 from whereon Sarfaraz Ahmed took over.
#3 Ajay Jadeja
He remains one of the sharpest cricketing minds in the game. Ajay Jadeja had everything going for him. He was a smart middle-order operator. Jadeja bowled handy overs with his military medium pace. To top it all, he was a gun fielder. His most iconic innings though remains the 45 off 25 balls he scored against arch-rivals, Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final.
Jadeja’s career though was cut short to match-fixing allegations. He could have been a fine captain had he led the side in more games. Jadeja captained India in 13 games with a win percentage of 61.59%. It’s a high number considering the state of the team in the late 90s and early 2000s.
#2 Adam Gilchrist
He revolutionised the role of modern-day wicketkeepers. Keepers prior to Gilchrist were just expected to keep well. They primarily batted in the lower order. But Gilchrist changed the perception of a wicketkeeper completely. He is just one among 3 players to win three World Cup titles in a row. Gilchrist was arguably the most famous vice-captain of a world-beating Australia side. Little do people know that he led the ODI side in 17 games with a winning percentage of 70.59%
#1 Gautam Gambhir
He was one leader who clearly should have led the side in more games. Gautam Gambhir’s India playing days coincided with the captaincy reign of MS Dhoni. It was only on occasions when Dhoni was unavailable that Gambhir got a chance to lead the side. He captained the side in 6 ODI games. India went on to win all 6 games. Gambhir has a 100% win record. It remains an unbroken record for Indian captains who have led in a minimum of 5 ODIs.
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