New Delhi: Shubman Gill will be looking to make a mark in his first major assignment as India’s new Test captain when the visitors lock horns with Ben Stokes-led England in the upcoming five-match series. Gill will be leading a relatively young and inexperienced India squad in the challenging tour, which is set to get underway on June 20.
Gill was appointed as India’s Test captain last month following the retirements of former skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli. In the senior duo’s absence, the onus will be on Gill to shoulder the majority of the run-scoring responsibilities in the series and ensure the young players can step up for the visitors as they search for their first Test series win on English soil in 18 years.
Gill will be looking to become only the seventh Indian captain to win a Test match in England, and the 4th after the legendary Kapil Dev, Ajit Wadekar and Rahul Dravid to clinch a Test series victory on English soil. Wadekar was the first Indian captain to win a Test series in England, when he led India to a 1-0 win against the hosts in 1971.
Virat Kohli failed to win a Test series in England, but remains the most successful Indian captain on English soil with three victories under his belt. Kohli led India on two tours of England during his reign as captain, and came close to inspiring the team to a series victory in 2021-22. India were leading the five-match series 2-1 in 2021-22 before COVID-19 led to the postponement of the last Test. England managed to beat India by 7 wickets in the final 5th Test to draw the series 2-2.
A look at Indian captains with most Test wins in England:
Virat Kohli – 3
Virat Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain in England with three wins to his name. India won their first Test in England under Kohli’s captaincy in Nottingham in the 2018-19 series. India defeated England by 2023 runs in the Test match, but lost the five-match series 4-1.
Kohli led India to two wins in the five-match Test series against England in 2021. The visitors defeated England by 151 runs in the 2nd Test at Lord’s after a draw in the opener. England bounced back to win the third Test by an innings and 76 runs, but India took a 2-1 lead with a 157-run win in the 4th Test at the Oval.
India failed to win the series as it ended in a 2-2 draw after England beat India by 7 wickets in the postponed fifth Test match, where Jasprit Bumrah led the side after Kohli stepped down from captaincy in 2022.
Kapil Dev – 2
Kapil Dev and Virat Kohli are the only two Indian captains with multiple Test wins in England. The legendary all-rounder led India to a 2-0 victory in the three-match Test series in England in 1986. It was India’s second Test series victory on English soil, after their maiden triumph under Ajit Wadekar in 1971.
Kapil is second on the list of Indian captains with the most wins in England. Under him, India defeated England by 5 wickets in the first Test of the three-match series at Lord’s in 1986 to register their first Test win at the iconic venue. India completed a 2-0 sweep after beating England in the 2nd Test in Leeds, before drawing the final Test match in Birmingham.
Ajit Wadekar, Rahul Dravid – 1
Both Ajit Wadekar and Rahul Dravid won a solitary Test as captain in England, but led India to Test series victories. India defeated England by 4 wickets at The Oval in London in August 1971 to claim their maiden Test series victory on English soil. India won the three-match series 1-0 after the first two matches ended in a draw.
India’s last Test series victory in England came under the legendary Rahul Dravid in 2007. India won the two-match series 1-0 after beating England by 7 wickets in Nottingham. The series opener at Lord’s ended in a draw.
MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly – 1
Both MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly also led India to a win apiece in a Test match in England. Ganguly won his first Test in England as captain when his Indian team defeated Nasser Hussain-led England by an innings and 46 runs in Leeds in 2002. The four-match Test series ended in a 1-1 draw between the two teams.
Dhoni led India to a famous victory at Lord’s in the 2nd Test of the five-match series against England in 2014. India defeated the hosts by 95 runs in the match. That turned out to be India’s only victory on the tour as the visitors ended up losing the series 3-1. Dhoni, Kapil and Kohli are the only three Indian captains to have won a Test match at Lord’s.
Virat Kohli is India’s most successful Test captain in England with three wins to his name. No other Indian captain has managed more than three wins in the country. Here is a look at Indian captains with most Test victories in England. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
