3 Indian captains who remained winless in their first three matches ft. Shreyas Iyer

A few Indian captains had a disappointing start to their captaincy stint.

Leading Indian Cricket Team is an achievement in itself. The Indian leadership comes with big responsibility, and it also requires courage and the ability to handle pressure. Over the years, many captains have got the opportunity to lead India across formats; however, only a few of them have been successful and were able to take the team to titles and memorable victories.

If we talk about the successful captains of India across formats, MS Dhoni takes the top spot, as he led the team to multipleICC titles and also made side no.1 in Tests. He also holds the record for leading the team in the most number of matches during his captaincy tenure from 2007 to 2018.

Like Dhoni, many captains made a solid start to their captaincy career. However, a few others had a disappointing beginning, suffering a losing streak in their initial stage as skippers. In this listicle, let’s take a glance at 3 Indian captains, who remained winless after their first three matches.

Three Indian captains who remained winless in three games at the start

3. Mohammad Azharuddin

Former Indian batter Mohammad Azharuddin captained India in 221 games across ODIs and Tests during his nine-year-long tenure from 1990 to 1999. With 104 wins and 90 defeats, he had a win percentage of 47.05 and is regarded as quite a successful captain.

However, he struggled to win games at the start of his captaincy journey. Azharuddin was appointed captain in 1990, and his journey began with a 10-wicket defeat in a Test match against New Zealand in Christchurch, which was followed by two drawn encounters.

Later, he also lost two ODIs against Australia and New Zealand in Rothman’s Cup Tri-Series, before winning his first game against the Black Caps in Wellington by one run. While he had a topsy-turvy stint at the start, he was able to turn things around later and emerge as one of the most successful captains for India.

2. KL Rahul

During India’s tour of South Africa 2021-22, KL Rahul was named as the stand-in captain in the second Test after skipper Virat Kohli sustained a back injury. India won the opening game, but Rahul failed to lead the team to victory in his maiden stint in the 2nd test.

Moreover, the wicket-keeper batter also lost the ODI series in the same tour, facing a 0-3 whitewash against the Proteas. Rahul commenced his journey as captain with four winless games. He eventually grabbed the spotlight with his leadership by taking India to a 3-0 ODI series whitewash in Zimbabwe later that year.

1. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has been appointed as the new T20I captain of India, replacing Suryakumar Yadav. In his first assignment against Ireland, Iyer faced a big setback by losing both T20I games. Ireland shocked the Men in Blue with their first-ever series victory against them in the shortest format.

Moreover, the recent 1st T20I against England at Riverside Ground was washed out due to rain, and Iyer remained winless in his first three games as captain.

Notably, Iyer has been one of the susccecful captains in IPL as he has led three different teams to the finals, a rare record held only by him. He would be keen to make a comeback in the upcoming games against England.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.