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The men's ODI World Cup has witnessed 12 editions since its inception in 1975. Since then, six teams have lifted the coveted trophy with Australia being the most successful team, winning the trophy on five occasions.
West Indies and India have won two ODI World Cups apiece and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and defending champions England have won the mega tournament once.
10 captains have lifted the men's ODI World Cup trophy to date, with Ricky Ponting and Clive Lloyd winning the trophy twice. But what about the age of World Cup-winning captains? Who are the youngest captains to have achieved this honor?
To answer that question, here is a look at the 5 youngest captains to lift the men's ODI World Cup.
#1 Kapil Dev - 24 years
The former Indian skipper is the youngest captain to lift the men's ODI World Cup. He achieved the feat in 1983 when an Indian team, against all odds, beat the mighty West Indies who had won the coveted trophy in 1975 and 1979.
Kapil Dev was a tad above 24 when he lifted the World Cup. He led by example throughout the tournament, in all three aspects - batting, bowling, and fielding. His innings of 175 against Zimbabwe, after his team was reduced to 17/5, is one of the best in the history of ODI cricket.
As a skipper, he was accurate with his bowling changes and field replacements. His all-round skills earned him the respect of all his teammates, both his seniors and juniors.
Kapil Dev's biggest asset was his belief in his team and the fact that he inspired his other team members to achieve the unthinkable - winning the World Cup.
#2 Ricky Ponting- 28 years
The former Australian skipper was a part of three teams that won the ODI World Cup, between 1999 and 2007. He won two World Cups as a skipper - in 2003 and 2007, in which Australia were undefeated throughout the tournament.
Ponting inspired a legendary Australian team to win the 2003 edition of the World Cup in South Africa. The unstoppable Aussies beat Pakistan, India, Netherlands, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and England during the group stages of the said tournament.
New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Kenya were beaten comprehensively in the Super Six stage. Australia reached the final of the 2003 World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka in the semis and met a strong Indian team in the summit clash.
Ricky Ponting scored a brilliant unbeaten 140 in the final and led his team to glory by beating India with a margin of 125 runs. The Aussie skipper was named Man of the Match in the final.
#3 MS Dhoni - 29 years:
India had to wait for 28 long years after their maiden triumph to win their second World Cup. MS Dhoni played an important role in guiding India to a famous win in the 2011 edition of the World Cup.
The Indian team had veterans like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, and Ashish Nehra.
There were also youngsters like Piyush Chawla, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yousuf Pathan, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, and S Sreesanth.
MS Dhoni was as swift as ever behind the stumps throughout the tournament. However, he did not taste much success with the bat until the final at the Wankhede Stadium, when he played an unbeaten match-winning knock of 91. This helped India chase 275 and he was named Man of the Match.
Dhoni was one of the sharpest captains India has ever had in limited-overs cricket and joined the ranks of the few great names to have won the World Cup.
#4 Clive Lloyd - 30 years
Clive Lloyd won two World Cups as the captain of West Indies - the 1975 and 1979 editions. West Indies were unbeaten throughout the said editions of the World Cups and Lloyd was instrumental in leading his team to glory.
1975 was the maiden edition of the ODI World Cup and West Indies were almost invincible at that time. Sri Lanka were thrashed in the first game the West Indies played in the tournament.
West Indies won narrowly against Pakistan in their second game and thrashed Australia in the third game during the group stages.
The Caribbean side had an easy outing against the Kiwis in the semi-finals and once again had to play Australia in the finals. Skipper Clive Lloyd played a brilliant knock (102) from just 85 balls in the finals and helped West Indies score 291. Australia fell short of the target by 17 runs and the rest is history.
#5 Allan Border - 32 years
The 1987 edition of the World Cup was co-hosted by India and Pakistan. It was the very first time that a World Cup was being staged outside England.
Australia were placed in Group A with India, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand, and won five of the six matches to qualify for the semi-finals.
Australia played Pakistan at Lahore in the semi-finals and defeated the home team by 18 runs. Familiar foes England were Australia's opponent in the final.
Captain Allan Border contributed 31 in the summit clash and Australia scored 253. England fell short of the target by just seven runs.
The 1987 World Cup win under Border was Australia's first and since then, they have won the coveted trophy in 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015.
