India, where billions of people reside within the boundary, certainly has been one of the powerhouses among the cricketing nations, revolutionizing the sport ever since they won their first World Cup under the captaincy of Kapil Dev in 1983. Looking at the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, following the year 1983, several players donned the captaincy role and helped their team reach glory in multiple tournaments.
However, with this, there has always been a debate raising on who is the best captain of the Indian cricket team; from big names like Kapil Dev to MS Dhoni, these players helped teams to win major ICC trophies, especially World Cups.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the Indian World Cup captain list, who made a significant impact in the World Cup.
India’s World Cup Captains by Year
Ever since the inaugural World Cup held in England in June 1975, India has been consistent throughout the years, securing the position at the highest level among the big giants like England, the West Indies, and Australia. In the context of the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, S. Venkataraghavan led the team, despite the team being inexperienced in the format. The 1975 World Cup India captain displayed his true leadership on the field, but failed to progress to the knockout round of the tournament.
From the year 1975 to 2023, about eight captains led the Indian cricket team, where the total World Cup won by India were only two, despite having participated in 13 different World Cups.
Here is the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup in chronological order:
| Captain | World Cup |
| S. Venkataraghavan | 1975, 1979 |
| Kapil Dev | 1983, 1987 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | 1992, 1996, 1999 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 2003 |
| Rahul Dravid | 2007 |
| MS Dhoni | 2011, 2015 |
| Virat Kohli | 2019 |
| Rohit Sharma | 2023 |
Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan (1975 and 1979)
Venkat, the first in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, officially led the team in the 1975 World Cup and in the 1979 World Cup.
He was a proficient off-spinner and an intelligent leader who led India in the initial World Cups when India was only getting its feet wet in the tournament. When talking about the leaders in different World Cups, the 1975 Indian Cricket team captain Vekant’s contribution to the team is not forgotten.
However, to its misfortune, India made no further progress in either of the tournaments beyond the group stage, but his leadership introduced him to the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup where the future captains in the India World Cup who would be able to take Indian cricket to the next level.
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Kapil Dev (1983 and 1987)
After the devastating loss in two consecutive World Cups, it was time for the Indian cricket team to have a good captain who could lead the team to victory. The 1983 World Cup Indian team captain, Kapil Dev, transformed Indian cricket, where India won their first World Cup trophy under his leadership.
His knock of 175 against Zimbabwe is a legend, which further led Kapil to lead India in the 1987 World Cup, but lost in the semi-finals of the tournament. Kapil Dev, one of the World no 1 captain in cricket, who is also an all-rounder, brought India its first international victory.
BCCI on X:
On this day in 1983 – India won the World Cup and held the trophy high at Lord’s – Memories to last a lifetime 🇮🇳🇮🇳🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/w6b7gg7zAw
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 24, 2019
“On this day in 1983 – India won the World Cup and held the trophy high at Lord’s – Memories to last a lifetime 🇮🇳🇮🇳🏆🏆.”
With Kapil Dev’s leadership in the 1983 World Cup, the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup observed him as one of the figures who completely changed the cricket scene, especially in India.
Mohammad Azharuddin (1992, 1996, 1999)
Mohammed Azharuddin, the only player in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, who captained the Indian cricket team for three consecutive years: the 1992, 1996, and 1999 World Cups. His captaincy in the Indian cricket team led them to the semi-finals in 1996. In addition to this, his graceful batting and composed captainship kept India competitive till the 1990s.
However, India failed to make it to the finals under his leadership, but Azharuddin is one of the most experienced names in India World Cup captain list, especially in the World Cup. His ten-year captaincy tenure was consistent and classy in a transitional period in Indian cricket history.
Sourav Ganguly (2003)
The captain of the Indian cricket team in the 2003 World Cup was Sourav Ganguly, who was popularly known as Dada. He is among the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, who made a significant milestone under his leadership that was fearless. Despite losing to Australia, Ganguly brought out a new aggressive spirit in India.
His association with coach John Wright was the key to success as World No 1 captain in cricket in the future. The 2003 version of Ganguly has seen India being ranked among the most powerful teams in the world. He is remembered as one of the greatest leaders in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, who formed the modern era in cricketing history in India.
Rahul Dravid (2007)
The Wall of Indian Cricket, Rahul Dravid, was the 2007 World Cup India team captain in the Caribbean. His World Cup ambitions did not last long when India did not even make it through the group stage, losing to Bangladesh in the early stages of the tournament.
But the leadership of Dravid was peaceful and admired by players, who is still considered the best in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup. India also made history in the tournament by registering 400 + runs against Bermuda. At the time of such an early exit, Dravid was still one of the most disciplined names in the list of captains of the Indian World Cup. The 2007 campaign might not have been very encouraging, but it set the stage for the entry of another legend in the future, MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni (2011 and 2015)
The captain, MS Dhoni, is considered one of the best captains in Indian cricket history. In the 2011 World Cup captain list, MS Dhoni is at the top, who had already won the T20 World Cup in 2007 as a captain.
Not only this, the year 2011 was the second World Cup won by India, being the top contender in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup. Dhoni led India to victory in 28 years, beating Sri Lanka in the final and cementing his name in the history books as one of the successful captains in Indian cricket team history.
Suresh Raina🇮🇳 on X
ON THIS DAY in 2011, India scripted history by winning the ICC Cricket World Cup! I still get goosebumps thinking about that iconic moment when @msdhoni hit that six! But it wasn’t just about one person, it was a team effort!
Huge appreciation for the entire team’s hard work,… pic.twitter.com/Oy5OCABNpF
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) April 2, 2025
: “ON THIS DAY in 2011, India scripted history by winning the ICC Cricket World Cup! I still get goosebumps thinking about that iconic moment when @msdhoni hit that six! But it wasn’t just about one person, it was a team effort! Huge appreciation for the entire team’s hard work.”
His composed leadership and match-winning six were history, allowing him to be the 2015 World Cup India captain, where they finished as semi-finalists in a close contest.
Virat Kohli (2019)
After MS Dhoni stepped down as captain, Virat Kohli led the Indian team for a few years and was in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup at the 2019 edition. Kohli had a lot of expectations; however, he is not included in the World Cup winners captains list.
India was leading the group stage but lost to New Zealand in the semi-final under his leadership. This loss did not stop Kohli as a captain and batsman because of his determination. His aggressiveness, coupled with his focus on leadership, made him one of the most inspiring figures in present-day cricket. Despite the failure as the captain of India, his gameplay made him stronger in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, especially when he captained the team in the 2019 World Cup in England.
Rohit Sharma (2023)
Rohit Sharma’s journey into captaincy began when Virat Kohli decided to retire from the captaincy role. It was in his hands to lead the Indian cricket team towards victory in the World Cup, as India had not won the ODI World Cup since 2011.
However, him being featured in the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup did not turn out to be a favourable one as the dream World Cup, 2023 was a big loss for them despite them being the favorites.
Shubhankar Mishra on X
Another Heartbreak for India in ICC events.💔. AUSTRALIA WON THE WORLD CUP 2023..#INDvsAUS #TravisHead pic.twitter.com/2Yii2NHMtE
— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) November 19, 2023
: “Another Heartbreak for India in ICC events.💔. AUSTRALIA WON THE WORLD CUP 2023.. #INDvsAUS #TravisHead.”
India started very strongly and did not lose any of their matches till the semi-finals. But it was the finals where Australia defeated the unbeaten India in front of the home crowd in a very dominant way, crushing the dreams of the World Cup and Sharma being on the list of the World Cup winners captains list.
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Amit Mishra’s Take
The story of India in the World Cup is a story of spectacular transformation of leadership; the simple origins of the leadership with S. Venkataraghavan in 1975 and the crusading leadership of Rohit Sharma in 2023. All the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup have certainly added a unique touch to Indian cricket, and it has formed their identity in the world arena.
The 1983 World Cup Indian team captain, Kapil Dev, brought a cricketing revolution, and the composed but tactical genius of Dhoni brought in a second glory for India in the year 2011. Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, such as Azharuddin, Ganguly, and Kohli were bringing grit, violence, and professionalism that transformed modern-day Indian cricket. Not all of the campaigns were won, but all of the eras boosted the spirit of the team as a whole.
FAQs: Indian Cricket Team Captain List in World Cup
Who was the first ODI captain for India?
The first ODI captain of India was Ajit Wadekar in 1974. But in the context of the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, S. Venkataraghavan is the first Indian cricket team captain in 1975.
India won the cricket World Cup under the captainship of which player?
India has been the champion of the Cricket World Cup twice – first in the reign of Kapil Dev in 1983, and then of MS Dhoni in 2011.
Who was the captain of India in the 2011 World Cup?
In the 2011 World Cup, MS Dhoni was one of the Indian cricket team captains in the World Cup who led the team to the victory in 28 years.
How many World Cups has Dhoni played as captain for India?
MS Dhoni has been featured in two World Cups in 2011 and 2015 as a captain for Team India.
How many World Cup India won under Dhoni?
India has won only one World Cup, that too in the year 2011 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
Who was the captain of India in 2019 World Cup?
Virat Kohli was the Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup in 2019, where they were the group stage winners, but were defeated by New Zealand in the semi-final.
Who was the captain of Indian cricket team in 2023?
In the ICC World Cup 2023, Rohit Sharma was the captain of the Indian cricket team, who were the runners-up after losing to Australia in the final.
Who is the present captain of Indian cricket team?
Shubman Gill is the current Indian cricket team captain who leads the team in various major tournaments and bilateral series in the ICC.
Who is the best captain in Indian cricket history?
Although there are several Indian cricket team captain list in World Cup, MS Dhoni is most likely to be considered as the best captain in the history of Indian cricket, having won the biggest of ICC trophies, the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011), and the Champions Trophy (2013). Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, and Kapil Dev are also prominent figures in the Indian cricket leadership.
