Home Statsman Who is the best Test cricket captain of them all? Nowadays, with a solid support staff, the captain’s decision-making responsibilities are less of a burden. This allows him to fully concentrate on his skills. Mohandas Menon 14 May, 2020 21:49 IST Graeme Smith won 53 out of 109 Tests as captain of South Africa. - GETTY IMAGES Mohandas Menon 14 May, 2020 21:49 IST The captain of a cricket team, at times also referred to as the skipper, is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of the 10 others in the playing XI. In cricket, the main role of the captain is to act as a sort of intermediary between the coaching staff and the rest of the team. He becomes part player, part selector or even part coach/mentor, and must be able to successfully balance the various pressures that come with the multiple responsibilities.As in any other sport, the captain is usually the person who is the most experienced in the squad. However, there have been several instances in Test cricket where the captain has been the least experienced member of the squad.The captain also needs to have good communication skills and is most likely to be a certainty in the playing XI, as he is responsible for the team selection. It is his task to go out for the toss before the start of a match and then take a call as to whether his side bats or fields first. During the match, the captain decides the team’s batting order, which bowler will open the bowling, who are his first and second bowling changes, and where each fielder will be positioned. While the captain has the final say, decisions taken on the field or in the dressing rooms are often collaborative. A captain’s knowledge of the complexities of cricket strategy and tactics, and shrewdness in the field may contribute significantly to the team’s success. Excelling as a cricket captain requires the incumbent to have a thorough understanding of how the game is played, the ability to strategise, and at the same time lead his teammates both on and off the field.READ| COVID-19 and sports: A corona-curtailed Test cricket season Nowadays, with the coaching and support staff as part of the squad, the captain’s decision-making responsibilities are less of a burden. This allows him to fully concentrate on his skills, which are either batting or bowling and at times both. However, despite all that, the captain of a cricket team typically shoulders more responsibility for results than team captains in other sports.Here’s the first part of a statistical review of the captains in Test cricket since 1877.First captain for each Test sideTeamCaptainOpponentVenueDateResultAustraliaDave GregoryEnglandMelbourneMarch 15, 1877Won by 45 runsEnglandJames LillywhiteAustraliaMelbourneMarch 15, 1877Lost by 45 runsSouth AfricaOwen DunellEnglandPort ElizabethMarch 12, 1889Lost by 8 wicketsWest IndiesKarl NunesEnglandLord’sJune 23, 1928Lost by an innings and 58 runsNew ZealandTom LowryEnglandChristchurchJanuary 10, 1930Lost by 8 wicketsIndiaC. K. NayuduEnglandLord’sJune 25, 1932Lost by 158 runsPakistanAbdul Hafeez KardarIndiaDelhiOctober 16, 1952Lost by an innings and 70 runsSri LankaBandula WarnapuraEnglandColombo (Premadasa)February 17, 1982Lost by 7 wicketsZimbabweDave HoughtonIndiaHarareNovember 18, 1992DrawnBangladeshNaimur RahmanIndiaDhakaNovember 10, 2000Lost by 9 wicketsICC World XIGraeme SmithAustraliaSydneyOctober 14, 2005Lost by 210 runsIrelandWilliam PorterfieldPakistanDublinMay 12, 2018Lost by 5 wicketsAfghanistanAsghar AfghanIndiaBangaloreJune 14, 2018Lost by an innings and 262 runsNotes:1) Dave Gregory of Australia is the first captain to win a toss.2) Owen Dunnell of South Africa and Asghar Afghan of Afghanistan lost their respective Test matches in two days!3) Ireland’s opening day in Test cricket (May 11, 2018) was washed out because of rain. Play began the next day.Most Tests as captainTestsCaptainTeamPeriod109Graeme SmithSouth AfricaApril 24, 2003-March 5, 201493Allan BorderAustraliaDecember 7, 1984-March 29, 199480Stephen FlemingNew ZealandFebruary 14, 1997-December 18, 200677Ricky PontingAustraliaMarch 8, 2004-December 29, 201074Clive LloydWest IndiesNovember 22, 1974-January 2, 1985+ Smith's tally includes one Test for the ICC World XI.Most Tests as captain for other sidesTeamTests a captainCaptainPeriodIndia60M. S. DhoniApril 11, 2008-December 30, 2014England59Alastair CookMarch 12, 2010-December 20, 2016Sri Lanka56Arjuna RanatungaDecember 8, 1989-February 28, 1999Pakistan56Misbah-ul-HaqNovember 12, 2010-May 14, 2017Bangladesh34Mushfiqur RahimOctober 21, 2011-October 8, 2017Zimbabwe21Alastair CampbellSeptember 11, 1996-November 19, 2002Zimbabwe21Heath StreakSeptember 12, 2000-March 1, 2004Ireland3William PorterfieldMay 12, 2018-July 27, 2019Afghanistan2Asghar AfghanJune 14, 2018-March 18, 2019Afghanistan2Rashid KhanSeptember 5, 2019-November 29, 2019Most Test wins as captainWinsCaptainTests as captainTeamPeriod53Graeme Smith109South AfricaApril 24, 2003-March 5, 201448Ricky Ponting77AustraliaMarch 8, 2004-December 29, 201041Steve Waugh57AustraliaMarch 5, 1999-January 6, 200436Clive Lloyd74West IndiesNovember 22, 1974-January 2, 198533Virat Kohli55IndiaDecember 9, 2014-March 2, 202032Allan Border93AustraliaDecember 7, 1984-March 29, 1994 Under Virat Kohli's leadership, India has won 33 out of 55 Tests. - FILE PHOTO/R.V. MOORTHY Most Test defeats as captainLossesCaptainTests as captainTeamPeriod29Graeme Smith109South AfricaApril 24, 2003-March 5, 201427Stephen Fleming80New ZealandFebruary 14, 1997-December 18, 200626Brian Lara47West IndiesMarch 27, 1997-December 1, 200622Allan Border93AustraliaDecember 7, 1984-March 29, 199422Alastair Cook59EnglandMarch 12, 2010-December 20, 201621Michael Atherton54EnglandAugust 5, 1993-August 4, 2001Most Tests drawn as captainDrawsCaptainTests as captainTeamPeriod38Allan Border93AustraliaDecember 7, 1984-March 29, 199430Sunil Gavaskar47IndiaJanuary 24, 1976-February 5, 198527Graeme Smith109South AfricaApril 24, 2003-March 5, 201426Clive Lloyd74West IndiesNovember 22, 1974-January 2, 198526Imran Khan48PakistanJuly 29, 1982-January 7-199225Arjuna Ranatunga56Sri LankaDecember 8, 1989-February 28, 199925Stephen Fleming80New ZealandFebruary 14, 1997-December 18, 2006Note: The four captains involved in a tied Test match are Richie Benaud (Australia) and Frank Worrell (West Indies) 1960, Kapil Dev (India) and Allan Border (Australia) in 1986.Most successful Test captains (minimum 25 Tests as captain)Win percentageWinsCaptainTests as captainTeamPeriod71.9341Steve Waugh57AustraliaMarch 5, 1999-January 6, 200462.3448Ricky Ponting77AustraliaMarch 8, 2004-December 29, 201060.0033Virat Kohli55IndiaDecember 9, 2014-March 2, 202058.0618Mike Brearley31EnglandJune 16, 1977-September 1, 198156.2518Kane Williamson32New ZealandJuly 28, 2016-March 2, 202054.0027Viv Richards50West IndiesAugust 7, 1980-August 12, 1991Least successful Test captains (minimum 25 Tests as captain)Win percentageWinsCaptainTests as captainTeamPeriod8.823John Reid34New ZealandFebruary 18, 1956-July 13, 196511.764Kapil Dev34IndiaFebruary 23, 1983-March 17, 198714.294Kim Hughes28AustraliaMarch 24, 1979-November 26, 198415.635David Gower32EnglandAugust 12, 1982-August 29, 198916.004Sachin Tendulkar25IndiaOctober 10, 1996-March 6, 200018.756Daniel Vettori32New ZealandNovember 8, 2007-January 29, 2011 To be continued…… Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! 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