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Test match is still considered as the toughest format and players need more than skills and talent to survive this game. It requires temperament and a lot of patience to showcase your ability as a great Test player.
Teams need to play each session well to win a Test and especially when it needs to win the matches in overseas conditions. Test sides have seen crumbling under pressure when exposed to alien conditions.
A captain plays a key role in shaping up a good competitive side to win any match whether it is at home or alien conditions. The Windies were invincible in the 80’s while the Aussies dominated in the 90’s. Apart from these two, other teams have also done well in Test matches.
The credit for success is given to leaders in the end as they are the ones who implement policies and strategies. This team represents the greatest Test captains who have played a crucial role in their team's success.
#11 Virat Kohli (India)
Virat Kohli had led the India team for the first time in 2014 when Dhoni was banned for one Test. At that time, Kohli almost led to a miraculous win but lost the match by 48 runs. It was evident that he was a born leader and will always look for a win.
Virat's captaincy style is similar to the likes of Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting who would lead from the front and go for the all-out attack. He has been impressive in his short stint and has already become the second most successful Indian captain in Tests with 22 wins in 38 Tests. His win percentage of 57.89 is incredible and has also taken the Indian team to number one ranking in the world.
Virat's overseas stint as a captain has been promising after winning the third Test in South Africa and recently in England. The hallmark of his captaincy is the ability to bounce back from any situation and win the Test.
Kohli has already proved one of the most successful Test captains, and if he continues with the same pace, he might well break the record for most number of wins as Test captain which is currently held by Graeme Smith with 53 wins.
#10 Misbah-ul- Haq (Pakistan)
Pakistan was in deep trouble after the spot-fixing saga in 2010. Salman Butt, who was the captained at that time, had been suspended from the national team due to his involvement in the spot-fixing. The team needed someone who could lift this team from this critical situation.
Misbah-ul-Haq was appointed the skipper of Pakistan team, and he played a key role in resurrecting the Pakistan team. He not only handled the team very well but also took to a new pinnacle where they were ranked as the number one team in ICC Test rankings.
Misbah's captaincy tenure was not that easy as they didn't have the luxury to play home matches and had to adopt UAE as their fortress. His overseas record was really impressive winning 11 matches out of 25 Tests and lost only ten.
Overall, he captained Pakistan team for almost seven years and won 26 Tests out of the total 56 and lost 19 of them. He was arguably one of the best captains to have played this game.
#9 Vivian Richards (West Indies)
Vivian Richards was one of the greatest batsmen in the cricketing history. He would dominate the opposition right from ball one and tear apart any bowling attack when he is on a song. He was a real swagger, and just like his batting style, his captaincy was equally aggressive.
Richards continued the domination from where Clive Lloyd had left off and was successful for almost a decade. In 50 Tests, he won 27 and lost only eight matches. In 26 Tests outside the Carribean soil, he led them to 12 wins and only six losses.
The former West Indies player was a ruthless captain and played an important role in taking the team the pinnacle of the game.
#8 MS Dhoni (India)
After winning the World T20 in 2007 and Commonwealth tri-series win in 2008, MS Dhoni's success as an ODI captain was reaching new heights. It was inevitable that he will take the reigns of the Indian Test captain. When Anil Kumble announced retirement, Dhoni took over the mantle and led the Test team till 2014.
During his six-year tenure as a Test captain, Indian team reached the number one ranking in 2009 after they defeated Sri Lanka at home. In 60 matches he led India, he won 27 Tests and lost 18 with a win percentage of 45. Currently, he is the most successful Indian captain in Tests.
Dhoni's overseas record might not seem impressive, but his away series win in New Zealand and series draw in South Africa proved that he is a good leader. He was also the mastermind in India's famous win at Lords in the 2014 England tour.
Dhoni's ability to read the game and as a shrewd cricketer, he is indeed one of the finest captains in the Test cricket history.
#7 Michael Vaughan (England)
Michael Vaughan was suddenly appointed as the captain after Nasser Hussain resigned from the captaincy in the mid of the series against South Africa. Vaughan's first Test as a captain started off on a disaster note but then strongly bounced back and leveled the series 2-2.
It was under the captaincy of Vaughan who regained the Ashes in 2005 and had defeated the Australian team by 2-1 which was the strongest team during that time. Apart from the Ashes glory, he won the away series against West Indies by 3-0 which they achieved after 1968. He also won the series beating South Africa away for the first time since 1965.
Vaughan had won 9 overseas Tests out of the total 22 matches and lost only five. Overall, in 51 Tests he led them to 26 wins and 11 losses with a win percentage of almost 51 which is remarkable. He is undoubtedly one of the finest captains for the England team and also in world cricket.
#6 Sourav Ganguly (India)
It was a critical period when Sourav Ganguly took over the reigns of the Indian cricket in 2000. It was during this time the match-fixing scandal had rocked the cricketing world and India was one of the teams which also got affected. Mohammed Azharuddin was banned from international cricket after he was speculated in the match-fixing saga.
Ganguly built the Indian team from scratch, and it was the beginning of a new golden era which had regained the trust of Indian fans. He was a visionary leader and would back the players even in their failures.
Ganguly had changed the face of Indian cricket, and it was under his leadership the team won matches in overseas conditions. In 28 matches on foreign soil, he had 11 wins which include the famous victories in Australia and England.
Ganguly's vital contribution towards Indian cricket will always be cherished and would remain one of the finest captains in the world cricket.
#5 Allan Border (Australia)
The golden era of Australian cricket began under the leadership of Allan Border. Once he took the captaincy, Australia became a world dominating team for two decades. He was the first Australian captain who won the World Cup in 1987.
Border was a great leader and led from the front with bat and also sometimes contribute with the bowling. He has led the Australian team for the most number of times in Tests. In 93 matches, he has won 32 and lost 22 matches. In the overseas tour, he was quite successful with 13 wins and 11 losses in 42 Tests.
It was Border who laid the foundation of strong Australian culture and was one of the great pillars of this team during his tenure.
#4 Graeme Smith (South Africa)
Graeme Smith became the captain of the South African team at a very young age of 22 years. Many experts were baffled by this decision and concluded that he would struggle due to his lack of experience at the international level. He proved everyone wrong and was one of the most successful captains in the history of Test cricket.
Smith had led the Proteas team for almost a decade and is the only captain to have led more than 100 Tests. In 109 matches as a skipper, he won 53 Tests and lost 29 with a win percentage of 48.62%. On overseas tour, he had won 22 matches and is only behind the former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd who has 23 wins.
Smith's leadership qualities were highly regarded all over the world, and he certainly stands at the top in the list of elite Test captains.
#3 Clive Lloyd (West Indies)
Clive Lloyd is one of the most successful captains in the history of world cricket. In both the formats, he was equally good. He had led West Indies team to two consecutive World Cup victories in 1975 and 1979, and in the Test format, they were the same dominating force.
It was under Lloyd that West Indies became world beaters and had dominated each team. He took the reign of this team in 1974, and almost led them for a decade.
In 74 Tests as captain, he won 36 matches and lost only twelve matches. Also when it comes to overseas wins the former West Indies player is still the greatest captain with 23 wins and ten losses in 50 Tests.
Lloyd had an astute tactical brain, and in many ways, he was the best leader that the Carribean team ever had.
#2 Ricky Ponting (Australia)
After Steve Waugh announced his retirement from international cricket in 2004, Ricky Ponting was appointed as the successor of this team. He was no-nonsense captain, who always backed his players and brought the best out of them.
Ponting's captaincy skills helped the team to bounce back from an impossible situation and made them an invincible team. He holds the record for most number of wins as a captain of the Australian side with 48 wins in 77 Tests.
During his six years of captaincy, he won 18 away matches out of the 36 Tests played on foreign soil. His overall win percentage of 62.33% is the second best after Waugh.
Ponting's great captaincy took the Aussies one level up and dominated world cricket for almost a decade.
#1 Steve Waugh (Australia)
Steve Waugh continued the legacy of the Australian domination and took the team to greater heights. Under his leadership, the Aussies looked completely invincible and were the best team in the world by a long way. He also to 1999 World Cup triumph.
Waugh was a great leader, and his calm demeanor along with an aggressive approach turned out to be the perfect combination for the Aussie team. His captaincy records are quite incredible winning 41 Tests out the total 57 matches and lost only nine Tests which speaks great volumes of his leadership skills.
Waugh's overseas record was equally impressive with 16 wins in 25 Tests and had lost only 7 Tests. He led the Aussie team to fifteen consecutive Test wins. Waugh had played a huge role in the Australian cricket and will always be regarded as the best Test captain ever.
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