Cricket World Cup History: Ranking the top four captains in the tournament's history

The whole cricketing world has been gripped by the World Cup fever. There is excitement in the air as the mega event gets underway with the hosts England taking on South Africa in the opener at the Oval in London.

The event would be the 12th edition of the mega event. Australia has won the World Cup five times while India and West Indies have won the title two times each.

A captain has a big role to play in cricket. A strong captain is an asset for the team. Right from selecting the best playing XI to deciding which bowler to bowl at which stage of the game, a captain needs to be thinking at every single point of the match. Some astute minds of the game like MS Dhoni, Ricky Ponting have done a great job of leading their teams at the World Cup.

Through this article, we take a look at the top 4 captains in World Cup history.

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#4 Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev created a miracle of sorts by beating the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World Cup. In fact, India managed to beat West Indies (unbeaten in World Cups till then) two times during the tournament in 1983. India won 11 of the 15 matches in which Kapil captained the side at the World Cups. Kapil also led India at the 1987 World Cup but India were not able to defend their title as England beat them in the semi-finals.

In a must-win game against Zimbabwe, India batted first and were in all sorts of bother when Kapil walked into the crease. With half the side back in the hut and the scorecard reading 17, Kapil decided to counter-attack. Dev scored his century off 100 balls. Together with Syed Kirmani, he put on an unbeaten 126 runs for the 9th wicket – a world record and finished not out with 175 runs off 138 balls, an innings that included 16 boundaries and 6 sixes.

His innings helped India qualify for the semi-finals. In the final as well, Kapil took an excellent catch of Vivian Richards to bring India back into the game.

#3 Clive Lloyd

Clive Lloyd won the 1975 and 1979 World Cup

Nicknamed the ‘Big C’, Clive Lloyd was the captain of the West Indian team which reached three consecutive World Cup finals from 1975 to 1983, winning two World Cup titles. The tall, powerful middle-order batsman captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and helped them become a dominant force in Test cricket. Lloyd lost just two matches as captain during the World Cups and had a winning percentage of 88.24.

In the 1975 Cricket World Cup final against Australia, the West Indies were deep in trouble at 3/50 when Lloyd came into bat. He made a wonderful 102 from 88 balls. It was the only limited overs international century of his career. Along with Rohan Kanhai, he added 149 for the fourth wicket and laid the foundation for a solid score. He was rightfully adjudged the Man of the Match in the final.

#2 MS Dhoni

M.S Dhoni

Captain cool MS Dhoni too makes the list with a record to be proud of. Dhoni has lost just two games during his reign as India’s captain in World Cups and has a winning percentage of 82.35. His shrewd captaincy helped India regain the World Cup in 2011, ending a wait of 28 years. During the 2015 World Cup, India reached the semi-finals stage being knocked out of the event by eventual winners Australia.

Dhoni had an average tournament in 2011 but led from the front in the final with brilliant innings of 91 runs. His move to promote himself ahead of the Man of the Tournament ‘Yuvraj Singh’ raised a few eyebrows but the move paid dividends as Dhoni negated the off-spin threat of Muttiah Muralitharan.

Dhoni also brought in Suresh Raina into the playing XI in the crucial stages of the tournament and his gamble paid off as Raina made some handy contributions in the quarter-final and the semi-final.

#1 Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting

‘The Punter’ takes the top spot with a staggering win percentage of 89.66. The Aussie great lost just two matches during this reign at the helm of Australia team in the World Cups.

Ricky Ponting has two World Cup titles in his name, having guided the Aussies to wins in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. Such was the dominance of that Australian side that they did not lose even a single game during the campaigns of 2003 and 2007. They are dubbed as one of the best sides to have played ODI cricket.

It is true that he had a great team containing the likes of Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee but they could only perform to their potential under the guidance of Ponting. His aggressive approach spurned on to the team. Ponting’s knock of 140 runs deflated the Indian team in the final of the 2003 World Cup and is remembered as one of the best knocks in World Cup cricket.