Test cricket is the purest format of cricket. No other format of the game can ever match the charm of test cricket. The joy of winning a test match is as good as winning an ODI series or T20 series. However, a captain makes all the moves in a match. He may credit others for his team’s success but in failure, he takes all the responsibilities. The fans spectated numerous skippers leading their teams but very few have thrived, let’s take a gaze at the players with the most wins in the test as captain.
Graeme Smith
Former South African skipper Graeme Smith tops the chart of most wins in test as captain. The southpaw led the South African team from 2003 to 2014 in 109 tests, winning 53 matches at an imposing win percentage of 48.62. Smith’s South Africa won test matches at home and overseas convincingly.
Ricky Ponting
Probably the best captain of all time, Ricky Ponting has 2nd most test wins as captain with 48 wins in 77 games. Ponting took the captaincy baton from Steve Waugh in 2004 and continued till 2010. The amazing right-hand batter won test matches in almost every country he played with his formidable team consisted of Glenn Mcgrath, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, etc.
Steve Waugh
The 1999 World Cup-winning skipper, Steve Waugh gets 3rd place on the list of most test wins as captain. Waugh’s tenure of test captaincy was of 5 years (1999-2004). The astonishing captain registered 41 wins in 57 matches at a staggering win percentage of 71.92, which is the highest by any captain. Steve’s flawless tactics put Australia on the top in that era.
Virat Kohli
The most successful test captain of India, Virat Kohli finds himself in 4th position in terms of having the most test wins as captain. Kohli took charge as captain in 2014 and left captaincy in 2022. But his 8 years were the golden era for India in test cricket. The flamboyant skipper has 40 triumphs out of 68 matches. Virat led India to win their first-ever test series against Australia in 2018. Not only that, but the 34 years old also guided India to register their 3rd test victory at Lord’s in 2021.
List of Most Test Wins as Captain
| Player | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Winning % |
| G Smith (SA) | 109 | 53 | 29 | 27 | 48.62 |
| R Ponting (AUS) | 77 | 48 | 16 | 13 | 62.33 |
| S Waugh (AUS) | 57 | 41 | 09 | 07 | 71.92 |
| V Kohli (IND) | 68 | 40 | 17 | 11 | 58.82 |
| C Lloyd (WI) | 74 | 36 | 12 | 26 | 48.64 |
| A Border (AUS) | 93 | 32 | 22 | 38 | 34.4 |
| S Fleming (NZ) | 80 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 35.0 |
| I Richards (WI) | 50 | 27 | 08 | 15 | 54.0 |
| H Cronje (SA) | 53 | 27 | 11 | 15 | 50.94 |
| MS Dhoni (IND) | 60 | 27 | 18 | 15 | 45.0 |
| J Root (ENG) | 64 | 27 | 26 | 11 | 42.18 |
| M Taylor (AUS) | 50 | 26 | 13 | 11 | 52.0 |
| M Vaughan (ENG) | 51 | 26 | 11 | 14 | 50.98 |
| M Ul Haq (PAK) | 56 | 26 | 19 | 11 | 46.42 |
Graeme Smith has the most wins in tests as captain (53).
Virat Kohli has the most test wins as the captain of India, 40 out of 68 games.
With 40 wins (most), Virat Kohli is the No 1 test captain of India.
Misbah Ul Haq has won the most tests as a Pakistani captain, 26 games out of 56.
Senior Cricket Content Editor at Skyblogs Cricket.
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