4 great captains who never won a Test series in India

Teams from all over the world have, historically, found it hard to overcome an Indian challenge in Men in Blue's den. Spinning wickets, humid conditions and hostile crowds don't allow the touring teams to bring out their A-game.

However, in tough conditions, players need a leader who can pick them up and push them to bring out their best. Quite a few managed to do the same when travelling to India, however, there were some great captains who weren't able to win even a single Test series in India.

Here are four of those legendary captains who did not win a Test series in India.

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#4 Stephen Fleming

The legendary New Zealand skipper led his home side in five Test matches in India, during a three-match series in 1999 and a two-match series in 2003.

He, however, couldn't lead his team to a win in even one of those five encounters. While the series in 1999 finished 1-0 in favor of the hosts, both the matches of the series in 2003 ended in draws.

His captaincy record in India reads - Played: 5; Lost: 1; Drawn: 5.

#3 Graeme Smith

His batting record in India also seemed to dip a little

Despite being the most successful Test leader of all time with victories in 53 games in the longest format of the game, Graeme Smith couldn't clinch a series victory in India. However, his record in the country is not as bad as it might seem.

He captained the Proteas on three tours to India in 2004, 2008, and 2010 respectively. South Africa lost the Test series on the first of those tours in 2004 but managed to draw the same in the remaining two.

In the 7 matches that he led the Proteas against India in India, he managed one win, two draws, and two losses. Those are not bad numbers by any stretch of the imagination, but, are definitely underwhelming for a leader of Smith's stature.

His batting record in India also seemed to dip a little, as he has scored just 3 half-centuries in the country with an average just above 38 and the highest score of 71.

#2 Steve Waugh

The only Test series that he played against the Asian giants was the epic three-match series that unfolded between the two sides in 2000/01

His inability to win a Test series in India probably was one of the rare chunks in the otherwise glittering armor of Steve Waugh as the captain of the Australian cricket team. He was the ruthless and confident leader who led the Kangaroos to 15 of their 16 consecutive Test victories, which is still a significant record in world cricket.

However, his dream of taming the Indians in India in the longest format of the game remained unfulfilled.

The only Test series that he played against the Asian giants was the epic three-match series that unfolded between the two sides in 2000/01. That edition of the Border Gavaskar Trophy remains one of the most closely-contested series of all time.

Australia won the first Test of the series in a thumping way by beating the hosts by 10 wickets in Mumbai. What followed was an incredible comeback by India, after being forced to follow-on in the second Test at Kolkata. The fight from Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman on the fourth day of the game will probably constitute one of the most frustrating moments of Waugh's captaincy career.

India scalped the last game of the series in a thrilling 2-wicket victory in Chennai. Things went from bad to worse for the Australian skipper in the series, as he was given out for handling the ball in the first innings of this Test.

#1 Ricky Ponting

Ponting led Australia in seven Tests in India and lost five of them

The legendary Australian captain, one who led Australia to two back-to-back World cup triumphs, didn't have the best of times leading the Kangaroos in India. In two full-fledged series as a captain, Ponting managed to win none.

Remarkably, one of the greatest skippers of all-time, the Australian failed to win even a single Test as a captain on Indian soil. In the four-match series in 2008/09, the travelling team went down 2-0, losing the second and fourth Test by a margin of 320 and 172 runs respectively.

Again, in 2010, led by Ponting, the Australians were whitewashed 2-0 by the hosts in a two-match series. The 43-year-old led the Aussies in one of the four Tests played in 2004 as well but they ended up on the losing side then as well.

All in all, Ponting led Australia in seven Tests in India and lost five while two matches ended in a draw.