Indian Cricket Team Captain List in World Cup
India have played in every Cricket World Cup since 1975 and have been led by some of the biggest names in the sport's history. From Srinivas Venkataraghavan in the first tournament to Rohit Sharma in 2023, this is the complete list of India's World Cup captains, their records and the campaigns they led.
Complete List of India World Cup Captains
| Year | Captain | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Srinivas Venkataraghavan | Group stage |
| 1979 | Srinivas Venkataraghavan | Group stage |
| 1983 | Kapil Dev | Winners |
| 1987 | Kapil Dev | Semi-final |
| 1992 | Mohammad Azharuddin | Group stage |
| 1996 | Mohammad Azharuddin | Semi-final |
| 1999 | Mohammad Azharuddin | Super Six |
| 2003 | Sourav Ganguly | Runners-up |
| 2007 | Rahul Dravid | Group stage |
| 2011 | MS Dhoni | Winners |
| 2015 | MS Dhoni | Semi-final |
| 2019 | Virat Kohli | Semi-final |
| 2023 | Rohit Sharma | Runners-up |
Captaincy Records
| Captain | Matches | Won | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapil Dev | 15 | 11 | 4 | 73.3 |
| MS Dhoni | 17 | 14 | 3 | 82.4 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | 23 | 10 | 13 | 43.5 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 11 | 8 | 3 | 72.7 |
| Virat Kohli | 9 | 7 | 2 | 77.8 |
| Rohit Sharma | 11 | 10 | 1 | 90.9 |
MS Dhoni has the most wins as India's World Cup captain (14), while Rohit Sharma's 2023 campaign — ten straight wins before the final defeat — gives him the best win percentage among captains with a full tournament.
The Two Winning Captains
Kapil Dev (1983) was 24 when he lifted the trophy at Lord's, the youngest World Cup winning captain at the time. His 175 not out against Zimbabwe and his inspirational leadership carried an unfancied side to glory.
MS Dhoni (2011) is the only captain to win all three ICC white-ball titles. His unbeaten 91 in the final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, finishing with that famous six, is the defining image of India's second triumph.
Near Misses
Sourav Ganguly's 2003 team reached the final in South Africa but were outplayed by Australia in Johannesburg. Rohit Sharma's 2023 side were the tournament's dominant team with ten consecutive wins before losing the final to Australia in Ahmedabad.
Who was India's first World Cup captain?
Srinivas Venkataraghavan captained India in the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979.
Which Indian captains have won the World Cup?
Kapil Dev (1983) and MS Dhoni (2011) are the two Indian captains to win the ODI World Cup.
Who captained India in the 2023 World Cup?
Rohit Sharma captained India in the 2023 World Cup, leading the team to ten straight wins before the final defeat to Australia.
Rivcky John
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