5 great Indian cricketers who never captained the country

The role of a captain in cricket is very similar to that of the manager in football. The individual is responsible for galvanising the team, formulating strategies and working out tactics when it matters most on the field.

Captaincy is more than just sorting out the field placements and deciding the team combination. It is more about man management and extracting the best out of every individual. Good captains also entails challenging the team members and creating an environment of camaraderie within the group.

Over the years, the Indian cricket team have been lucky to be bestowed with leaders who have been synonymous with the teams they have led. These men have got the best out of the players, and the results have reflected their influence over the side. Amidst all this, they have never let their performance dip, well, on the contrary, the performances have grown.

However, there have been few players who were possible legends in their own right but have never been handed the reins of the team. They might consider themselves unlucky in this aspect, but call it their fate, there have been better people for the job around at that time.

We now take a look at five such players.

#1 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan has never skippered the national team

Arguably the best fast bowler India has ever seen, Zaheer Khan came in like a breath of fresh air, and right from his debut, he displayed his potential and prowess.

From the late swinging ball to toe-crushing yorkers, Zaheer had it all in his repertoire. He was a proverbial menace for the left-handed batsman, and the records of Graeme Smith and Andrew Strauss against Zaheer, are a testament to his ability.

And as he matured, and assumed a more senior role in the team, the Baroda man was always seen speaking with young bowlers and mentoring them along the way. He was the unofficial 'bowlers captain', a title given to him by MS Dhoni. However, he was never considered to be the leader of the team, probably because there was always a Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and then MS Dhoni to take that position.

Zaheer has been the captain of Mumbai Ranji team, and has also served as the captain of Delhi Daredevils. He showed his leadership potential and the ability to come up with deft tactics, which was an indication of his skills. He had precise plans for each batsman, and never hesitated to experiment, a positive trait for any captain.

#2 VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman was the first captain of Deccan Chargers

A vital cog in the Indian team from the early 2000s right down to 2010-2011, VVS Laxman, was the crisis man of the Indian Test team. Part of the fabled coterie which included the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, the Hyderabad man carved out a niche for himself in the batting order.

The elegant stroke-maker was time and again needed to bail India out of any cornered position, and he did it with aplomb. With 8781 runs, Laxman is the fourth-highest scorer for India in Test Matches.

Despite his presence in the team for almost 15 years, he was never appointed the captain, even to fill the gap for a temporary basis. However, VVS did captain the Deccan Chargers and is currently the mentor of Sunrisers Hyderabad.

#3 Erapalli Prasanna

Erapalli Prasanna played second fiddle to Srinivas Venkataraghavan

Flight, loop, drift and then bite off the surface, Prasanna exemplified what off-spinners should be like. There was a certain delight in watching the Bangalore spinner lure the batsmen into a false sense of safety before outwitting him with his guile.

189 wickets in 49 matches was a testament to his ability. But he could never be a regular member of the team, because of petty team politics. This impeded his rise as a leader of men, more so because he gave a glimpse of his ability to read the mindset of batsmen.

As a spin bowler, you have to be proactive rather than reactive, a trait which should be etched into a captain too. But Prasanna was always a second fiddle option to Srinivas Venkataraghavan, both as a bowler and then later as a captain.

#4 Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh was never dubbed fit enough to captain the Indian team

If Prasanna was the master, Harbhajan Singh was the able apprentice, who developed into one of India's finest bowlers across all formats.

The feisty character from Punjab shot into prominence during the 2001 Test series against Australia and has never looked back. He has had his share of highs and lows, but there is no denying the fact, that with 417 Test Wickets and 269 One Day International wickets, he is one of the modern-day legends of Indian cricket.

However, he was never dubbed fit enough to captain the Indian team, and even during fringe tours he missed out as being the skipper. It is not as if he has no experience of leading a team, he has done the job with Mumbai Indians and also with the Punjab Ranji team, but the selectors always looked through him when it came to the national team.

#5 Bhagwat Chandrasekhar

Bhagwat Chandrashekhar was the never earmarked to be the leader of the team

242 wickets in 58 matches at an average of 29.74. These are the numbers Bhagwat Chandrasekhar spun out during his career.

Chandra had a fairly long run-up for a spinner, but he was no ordinary spinner. He bowled quickish googlies mixed with a fair share of spitting leg-breaks, and this made him one of the most lethal prospects of India's famed spin quartet.

He was the chief architect of India's first win against England at the Oval where he picked up 6 wickets for 38 runs. However, he was never earmarked as a leader, and never was he deemed fit enough to be the captain of the National team.