Top 5 potential Indian captains who never got the chance to lead in Test cricket

Captaincy is something that cannot be taught. One needs to have that quality of leadership within themselves to achieve success as a skipper in cricket. From the likes of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to Sourav Ganguly to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, many have shone in the role because of the trust the selectors bestowed on them. If not presented with an opportunity, you will never know how much a good captain the player is.While there are many who have done justice to their roles as the pilot of the team, there are quite a few who were never given the responsibility, despite them being a capable captaincy material. Here are the 5 players who had the potential in them to lead the team to glories, but, their turn never came. Note: The list is made only considering players over the past 20 years.

#5 Javagal Srinath

The right-arm seamer is considered to be one of India’s best ever fast bowlers. With an astute pre-determined bowling plan, Srinath helped the then captains Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly by assisting the young bowlers and played a good hand at the 2003 World Cup too.

The current ICC Match Referee could have given a new dimension to the captaincy trend that is dominated the batsmen since Kapil Dev’s days. Appointing a bowling captain of his calibre would have not been a bad move for Indian cricket back then.

#4 Wasim Jaffer

The Mumbai run-machine has been at the helm of his state for 4 complete seasons between 2007 and 2012. The team under Jaffer went on to clinch back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in 2008/09 and 2009/10. The former Indian opener was in and out of the side and was last seen in the whites of India in 2008 against South Africa at Kanpur.

With 31 Test caps to his name, Jaffar was sidelined after the rise of Gautam Gambhir. Having led a team of talented individuals at Mumbai, his abilities as a skipper should not be discounted. He stepped down from captaincy to concentrate more on his batting after failing in the semi-final of the 2011/12 Ranji season.

#3 Zaheer Khan

The left-arm seamer was often referred to be a thinking bowler and is an expert in planning his dismissals. Moreover, he has acted as the unofficial bowling captain at times and India owe him a lot in the upbringing of Ishant Sharma. He has regular conversations with his fellow bowlers on their line and lengths, and normally gets his field positions accurately to his style of bowling.

These above qualities give an insight into the captaincy brain within him. Also, he has led Mumbai in patches in the absence of regular captains. A reknowned executioner of his intented plans, Zaheer might have been the kind of captain who could have solved the bowling worries of team India of late.

#2 Gautam Gambhir

The Delhi left-hander was tipped to succeed Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2012 after the twin whitewashes. Repeated failures in his role as an opener saw him dropped from the side though.

His success with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, albeit a completely different format was there for everyone to see. Known to make his own decisions in the field and rallies his troops well. He has struggled often when his plan A fails, but no guarantee can be given for his success in the longer formats. He has became a better captain in recent times than he was before.

#1 VVS Laxman

If Rahul Dravid lived under the shadows of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman was completely overpowered by the numbers both of them possessed. The calm batsman is one of the handful of players who have never lead their country despite playing over a hundred Test matches. The right-handed middle-order batsman has led Hyderabad in domestic tournaments here and there but never was at the helm for a complete season.

Hence, judging him on that regard is not the right way to look into his cricketing brains. Someone who has accompanied Dravid in the slips for all his years with India, Laxman with all his knowledge about the game might’ve been a successful captain if he was trusted with the reigns of the team.