Top Contenders for Indian Captaincy

Another series defeat for India under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Now it is possible that BCCI will look to remove the present captain and find a new one. Let’s take a look at the top 5 contenders for Indian team captaincy.

1) Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir is an Indian opening batsman who can play in both a defensive and aggressive manner. Gambhir had also captained India in a series against the Kiwis, which India won 5-0. Gambhir also won the “ICC Test Player Of The Year” in 2009. He captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their first IPL title. Gambhir also played a crucial, match-building innings against Sri Lanka in the finals of 2011 World Cup, scoring 97 off 122 balls. He is a top contender for the captaincy.

Gambhir’s statistics -

—– Mat Runs Avg Hs S.R 100 50 Wic

Test:- 54 4021 44.18 206 54.55 9 21 0

ODI:- 141 5096 40.44 150* 85.77 11 33 0

T20:- 37 932 27.41 75 119.02 0 7 0

2) Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag holds the record for the highest individual score by a batsman in an ODI. He scored 219 against West Indies. He is the only batsman to score both, a double century in ODI and a triple century in Test cricket. Sehwag captained India in two ODIs and a Test match. He is the only Indian batsman to be awarded with the “Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World” award in 2008, subsequently becoming the first player in the history to retain the award the next year. All these records make him a strong contender for Indian captaincy.

Sehwag’s statistics -

—— Mat Runs Avg Hs S.R 100 50 Wic

Test:- 102 8559 50.05 319 82.39 23 32 40

ODI:- 251 8273 35.05 219 104.33 15 38 96

T20:- 19 394 21.88 68 145.38 0 2 0

3) Virat Kohli

This man was a nightmare for bowlers in the previous year. Virat Kohli was also the captain of the victorious Indian U19 Cricket team in 2008. He was also the leading run scorer in the 2009 Emerging Players Tournament. Kohli scored 5 centuries in 2012 and was also declared the “ODI Cricketer Of The Year” for 2012 at the ICC annual award function. He is the hot favourite for the Indian captaincy.

Kohli’s statistics -

—— Mat Runs Avg Hs S.R 100 50 Wic

Test:- 14 891 38.73 116 45.76 3 5 0

ODI:- 92 3892 50.54 183 86.29 13 21 2

T20:- 20 558 34.87 78* 130.37 0 4 3

4) Suresh Raina

The only Indian player to score a century in all the three formats of the game. Raina also captained Team India in a tri-series in Zimbabwe. He scored 101 in just 60 balls against South Africa, and by doing so, became the 3rd player after Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum to score a century in all the 3 formats. He is also the leading run scorer in IPL history. He is also the vice-captain of Chennai Super Kings and hence, a strong contender for Indian captaincy.

Raina’s statistics -

—— Mat Runs Avg Hs S.R 100 50 Wic

Test:- 17 768 28.44 120 53.29 1 7 13

ODI:- 153 3760 35.47 116* 92.17 3 24 17

T20:- 36 840 33.60 101 136.14 1 3 5

5) Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj was the hero of India’s World Cup campaign of 2011 as he was awarded the Man of the Series award. Yuvraj Singh is the only player to hit 6 sixes in an over in an international match between two Test playing nations. He captained Kings XI Punjab for two consecutive years.

Yuvraj’s statistics -

—— Mat Runs Avg Hs S.R 100 50 Wic

Test:- 40 1900 33.92 169 57.97 3 11 9

ODI:- 276 8062 37.32 139 87.49 13 49 109

T20:- 33 791 30.42 72 148.68 0 6 23