All-time ODI XI featuring 11 captains

Cricket is a team game where 11 players need to perform as a unit to take their side over the finish line. While some have the responsibility of scoring runs, others have to deliver with the ball in hand. However, one person who needs to take care of everything happening in the field is the captain. From selecting team combinations to making on-field decisions, a captain needs to perform many duties. On top of that, he also needs to focus on his individual performances. Hence, leading a cricket team is not a bread and butter task by any means. The challenge increases even further when someone is handling the reins of a national team. A captain in international cricket deals with the immense pressure of leading the side from the front with the spotlight over his head. While the captain gets praised when the team wins, he also needs to take accountability for the entire team’s failure. Hence, many potent cricketers have failed to bear the leadership pressure. At the same time, some individuals have done an exceptional job while captaining the side. Now, how would a team look featuring the best ODI captains in the world? Let’s find out! Here’s a look at the all-time ODI XI featuring skippers 1. Graeme Smith Graeme Smith. (Photo by Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images) South Africa were a force to reckon with under Graeme Smith’s leadership. Hence, the southpaw is the opener of this unique line-up. In 2003, a 22-year old Smith took over the reins of the national team when the Proteas side was reeling with the claims of match-fixing. However, the left-handed batsman embraced the challenge and took his side to great heights. He scored runs consistently at the top-order and guided his side to numerous wins. Although Smith’s stroke play may not have been that elegant like most lefties, his relentless character and ability to shine in crunch situations made him a headache for the bowlers. His strategies and apt field placements had also left the cricket world in awe. In ODIs, Smith led South Africa in 149 games and took them to victory on 92 occasions. Hence, he had a win percentage of nearly 65, which is simply sensational. The southpaw eventually bid farewell to international cricket in 2014, but his services for Proteas cricket weren’t over. He’s currently serving as a director of Cricket South Africa (CSA). 2. Sourav Ganguly Sourav Ganguly. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) “Movie on Sachin Tendulkar showed the rise of Sachin. Movie on Saurav Ganguly will show rise and rise of India.” These words by former Indian opener Virender Sehwag are enough to explain Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket. He was a charismatic leader and a solid batsman who took the Men in Blue to many memorable triumphs. With his fierce character and self-belief, Ganguly formed a side that was daunting at home and more than competitive overseas. Hailed as the ‘God of off-side,’ the left-handed batsman also established a formidable opening pair which Sachin Tendulkar and the duo gave sleepless nights to many potent bowling line-ups. One of the highlights of Ganguly’s captaincy career was India reaching the 2003 World Cup finals, where they lost to Australia. In total, the Kolkata-born cricketer led India in 149 ODIs and took them to 76 wins. As of now, Ganguly is the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 3. Ricky Ponting (Captain) Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Twitter) As mentioned above, India playing the 2003 World Cup final was the zenith of Ganguly’s career. Well, that day could have been even more memorable for the Men in Blue had Ricky Ponting not unleashed his carnage. The Australian skipper demolished India’s bowling attack and scored a match-winning 140. And, that wasn’t the only occasion when Ponting pulled off such heroics. He has done that for the best parts of his career. Ponting was the leader of that Australian side, which didn’t beat but tore down opposition teams. While he formed consistently with the willow, his on-field decision-making was nothing but spectacular. As a result, Australia won two World Cups and as many Champions Trophy titles under him. Moreover, he’s also the most successful captain in ODIs with 165 wins in 230 games. His tally of 13,704 runs is also the third-highest for any batter in ODIs. Hence, Ponting also leads this line-up on captains. The Aussie stalwart eventually announced retirement from international cricket in 2012 and gave a breather to many bowlers. 4. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images) The poster boy of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli, is next on the list. While the talismanic cricketer has already become a batting juggernaut, his captaincy numbers aren’t ordinary either. In fact, leadership is something that brings the best of Kohli, and his staggering numbers back the claim. The right-handed batsman averages 72 as a captain in ODIs, and his strike rate is also touching 100. Now, this is what you call jaw-dropping. Alongside his batting prowess, Kohli has also done a commendable job as captain. He sets aggressive fields and inspires bowlers to go for wickets. The 32-year-old has also not hesitated in doing experiments and making unorthodox decisions. So far, Kohli has led India in 95 ODIs and took them to 65 victories. This means his winning percentage is over 70. Well, the star batter still has a long way to go in international cricket, and he would be determined to take the Men in Blue to many more victories. 5. Eoin Morgan Eoin Morgan of England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images for ECB) Eoin Morgan’s cricket journey makes a perfect script for a Hollywood Blockbuster. The southpaw started his international career for his born country Ireland. However, he moved to England for better opportunities and soon became a vital cog of the Three Lions’ white-ball team. Months before the 2015 World Cup, Morgan replaced Alastair Cook as England’s ODI captain, and a revolution went underway. Although the Three Lions had a terrible World Cup campaign as they got knocked out of the league stage, what followed next was beyond anyone’s expectations. Under Morgan’s leadership, England became a formidable force in white-ball cricket and defeated one potent team after another. In this time, the left-handed batsman also delivered regularly with the bat. Morgan even brought an end to England’s long wait for the 50-over World Cup, guiding them to the title in 2019. So far, Morgan has led the Three Lions in 121 ODIs, taking them to 72 wins. The 34-year-old still has a lot left in him, and he would like to take English cricket to even greater heights. 6. MS Dhoni (Wicketkeeper) MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter) The only captain with three ICC titles, MS Dhoni had to make to this list. The wicketkeeper-batsman is one of India’s greatest match-winners, and not many can argue over this. Dhoni burst into the scenes as a dasher who loved to hit sixes for fun. He also ended India’s search for a potent wicketkeeper-batsman. However, the best of Dhoni was unleashed when he became India’s captain in 2007. He immediately proved his prowess by taking the Men in Blue to the victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup. The Ranchi-born cricketer didn’t look back after that as India registered one triumph after another. Under him, India also lifted the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. While Dhoni’s sharp cricket mind has earned praises worldwide, the star cricketer also brought the best out of players. The best example of this is Rohit Sharma, who became a batting stalwart after becoming an opener. Dhoni brought curtains to his illustrious career in August 2020 but not before taking India to 110 wins in 200 ODIs as captain. 7. Imran Khan Imran Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter) From one World Cup-winning captain to another, we welcome former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan next in the line-up. Khan is celebrated as one of the finest all-rounders to have graced the game. While the right-arm pacer has shattered stumps of many prominent batsmen, he has also played several sensational knocks. On top of this, Khan was a magnificent leader who took Pakistan to many important wins, including the 1992 World Cup title. The all-rounder led his side from the front with his stellar performances and also inspired his teammates to do well. In fact, greats like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis credit Imran for their success. The great all-rounder bid farewell to international cricket after guiding Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup triumph. In total, he took Pakistan to 75 victories in 139 games. As of now, he’s serving as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. 8. Wasim Akram Wasim Akram. (Photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images) Akram is another Pakistani great to make a cut in this happening line-up. From swinging the new ball both ways to nailing yorkers in the death overs, Akram had numerous weapons in his arsenal to trouble batsmen. Adding on that, the southpaw was also a handy batsman lower down the order. However, there was another aspect of Akram’s game that puts him on this list, his leadership. As mentioned previously, Akram looked up to Imran Khan, and it seems like he also took some of his captaincy attributes. The speedster possessed a sharp mind, and he didn’t hesitate in making bold decisions. Under him, Pakistan also advanced to the 1999 World Cup final, where they lost to eventual champions Australia. In total, the Men in Green won 66 out of 109 ODIs, with Akram having the charge. The talismanic bowler eventually bid farewell to international cricket after the 2003 World Cup. 9. Daniel Vettori Daniel Vettori. (Photo Source: Twitter) The New Zealand Cricket team has lived with the underdog tag for a long time. Hence, many of their performances have gone unnoticed over the years. Nevertheless, the Blackcaps have produced many potent players who made a significant mark in world cricket. Daniel Vettori is indeed one of them. Conditions in New Zealand aren’t very inspiring for spin bowlers. Nevertheless, the legendary left-arm spinner defied all the odds and delivered many stunning spells in his illustrious career. Vettori also had an impressive time as captain as he took the Kiwis to some significant wins. Under him, New Zealand also qualified for the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup. Overall, the legendary cricketer led New Zealand in 82 ODIs and returned with 41 wins. Vettori announced retirement from international cricket in 2015, and a great era came to an end. 10. Shane Warne Shane Warne during the 1999 World Cup. (Photo Source: Twitter) Like most of the people on this list, Warne hasn’t led his national side for long, but his record is worth mentioning. Australia won 10 out of the 11 ODIs when the leg-spinner handled the reins of the side. Moreover, Warne took a total of 18 wickets in these games, which shows the talismanic cricketer enjoyed leadership. With 1001 international wickets under his belt, Warne is arguably the best spinner to have ever stepped onto the cricket field. Alongside applying brakes on the run-flow, Warne was also capable of taking wickets regularly. Now, who can forget his ability to shatter the timber after pitching the ball outside the leg-stump? However, Warne didn’t get much time to shine as captain in Australian colours. The iconic leg-spinner bid farewell to international cricket in 2007 and provided relief to many batters around the globe. Nowadays, he’s an active commentator and a coach. 11. Courtney Walsh Courtney Walsh. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Our line-up of captains ends with West Indies legend Courtney Walsh. Fast bowlers leading teams isn’t a popular idea even nowadays and just imagine what the scenario would have been in the 90s. However, Walsh defied the stereotypes and led the Caribbean team for a fair amount of time. Walsh, West Indies’ leading wicket-taker in international cricket, took over the reins of the side in 1994. The right-arm pacer was in the latter half of his career, and many believed the captaincy burden could get the better of him. However, Walsh embraced the challenge brilliantly. He took 48 wickets in 43 ODIs as captain and also took West Indies to 22 victories. The star fast bowler announced retirement from all forms of cricket in the year 2000. Currently, Courtney Walsh is the head coach of the West Indies women’s cricket team.

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All-time ODI XI featuring 11 captains

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