Former India pacer Varun Aaron took the blind-ranking challenge to rank five of India’s best T20I captains ahead of the series against New Zealand. The five-match series, starting January 21, will be India’s final assignment before the all-important 2026 T20 World Cup next month.
Coming to the ranking, Aaron placed Hardik Pandya at No.5 among India’s T20I skippers. Current captain Suryakumar Yadav came in at No.4 for the former speedster, with Virat Kohli taking the third spot.
Finally, Aaron had the two legendary skippers, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, taking the top two spots in that order.
Here is the video of Varun Aaron ranking India’s five best T20I captains (via ESPN Cricinfo):
Surya will lead India in the upcoming T20 World Cup as they look to defend their title from two years ago under Rohit. Meanwhile, Dhoni led India to their maiden T20 World Cup title in the inaugural 2007 edition.
Who among the five captains fared the best in T20Is?
All five of the above-mentioned Indian captains boast stellar numbers leading the side in T20Is. Hardik Pandya mostly led India when Rohit Sharma was absent from the format in 2022 and 2023.
Under Hardik, India won 10 out of their 16 T20Is with a winning percentage of over 62.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav took over once Rohit retired from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup. Under Surya, India boasts an excellent T20I record with 28 wins in 38 outings and a win percentage of almost 74.
Coming to Virat Kohli, India won 30 out of 50 T20Is at a win percentage of 60 under the veteran cricketer.
India’s two T20 World Cup-winning captains, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, also boast excellent captaincy numbers. The Men in Blue won 41 out of their 72 matches under Dhoni in T20Is at a win percentage of almost 57.
Rohit Sharma has an even better record as India’s T20I captain, with 49 wins in 62 outings at a win percentage of over 79. The duo is also the most successful IPL captains, leading their respective franchises, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI), to five titles.
Apart from the above-mentioned five, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill are the only other captains to lead India in at least five T20Is.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
