Cricket fans in India have always been curious about one thing – how many players have actually captain Team India in ODI cricket till now? Leadership is not just about winning matches; it’s about handling pressure, shaping team culture, and building future champions.
From Ajit Wadekar in 1974 to Shubman Gill in 2025, many Indian cricketers have taken this iconic role and guided India through different eras of one-day cricket.
Shubman Gill: The New Face of Indian Captaincy
As of October 2025, Shubman Gill has become the 28th captain of the Indian ODI team.Rohit Sharma succeeded by the young opener who had a fine reputation in playing the strokes and with a calm temperament to take up the captaincy role in late 2025. His selection indicates the concerns of the Indian selectors on creating a long term leadership strategy towards the next cycle of the ODI world cup.
Gill was an obvious choice with his knowledge of the current state of cricketing and fitness and being an IPL leader. He is still a new man at the helm but there is high expectation that his astute cricketing head will guide India into the next international season.
Full List of India’s ODI Captains (Men’s)
| Player | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % | Loss % |
| Shubman Gill | 2025– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hardik Pandya | 2023 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 | 33.33 |
| KL Rahul | 2022–2023 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 | 33.33 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 2021–2022 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 58.33 | 25.00 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2017–2025 | 56 | 42 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 75.00 | 21.42 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 2015 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | – |
| Virat Kohli | 2013–2021 | 95 | 65 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 68.42 | 28.42 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2010–2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | – |
| Suresh Raina | 2010–2014 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 50.00 | 41.66 |
| MS Dhoni | 2007–2018 | 200 | 110 | 74 | 5 | 11 | 55.00 | 37.00 |
| Virender Sehwag | 2003–2012 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 58.33 | 41.66 |
| Anil Kumble | 2002 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | – |
| Rahul Dravid | 2000–2007 | 79 | 42 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 53.16 | 41.77 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 1999–2005 | 146 | 76 | 65 | 0 | 5 | 52.05 | 44.52 |
| Ajay Jadeja | 1998–1999 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 61.53 | 38.46 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 1996–2000 | 73 | 23 | 43 | 1 | 6 | 31.50 | 58.90 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | 1990–1999 | 174 | 90 | 76 | 2 | 6 | 51.72 | 43.67 |
| Krishnamachari Srikkanth | 1989 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 30.76 | 61.53 |
| Dilip Vengsarkar | 1987–1989 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 | 55.55 |
| Ravi Shastri | 1987–1991 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 36.36 | 63.63 |
| Mohinder Amarnath | 1984 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | – |
| Syed Kirmani | 1983 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 100.00 |
| Kapil Dev | 1982–1987 | 74 | 39 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 52.70 | 44.59 |
| Gundappa Viswanath | 1981 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 100.00 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 1980–1985 | 37 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 37.83 | 56.75 |
| Bishan Singh Bedi | 1976–1978 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 | 75.00 |
| Srinivas Venkataraghavan | 1975–1979 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14.28 | 85.71 |
| Ajit Wadekar | 1974 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 100.00 |
Also Read: Shubman Gill Takes Over As ODI Captain For The Australia Tour 2025
The Evolution of Indian ODI Captain
There has been a shift in captaincy of Indian ODI cricket over the years. Leadership in the 1970s and the 1980s was more of motivation and instinct. Other captains such as Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev were role models and gave discipline and pride to the young Indian teams. The most glorious moment in the life of Kapil Dev was when he held the 1983 world cup as it is the first major global victory of India.
Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar led the team in the transition it experienced in the 1990s. Azharuddin has done 174 ODIs as captain, making him one of the most long serving heads. Subsequently, the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly (1999 -2005) turned things around. He made a fearless squad, which had faith in victory in the foreign countries and gave rise to young talents such as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag.
The new golden era started with MS Dhoni who was the most successful captain in ODIs and had 110 wins in 200 matches in his career. His self-possession, his tact, and his victories in the ICC tournaments, the winning of the World Cup in the year 2011 and the Champions Trophy in the year 2013 made him an icon. Virat Kohli took that legacy to unprecedented aggression and stability which resulted in India winning a number of bilateral series and has a staggering 68% win rate.
The head of the current generation led by Gill was Rohit Sharma who introduced his touch of success. He led the way in coaching the young players and under his leadership India has won major series at home as well as in other countries. His win rate in ODIs was high at 75% and this made him one of the most effective limited-overs captains in the history of India.
