Top 5 batsmen who played worse after becoming ODI captains

Captaincy is something that cannot be taught, one has to be born with the desired leadership skills to be able to succeed at it.Many great names in cricket have struggled with their personal game under the demands of captaincy, often sacrificing their batting to concentrate on their captaincy. Here are the top 5 cricketers who had to undergo some testing times as batsmen while holding the top job:Note: The list is selected comparing one’s batting average as non-captain and captain.

#5 Sachin Tendulkar

The ‘Master Blaster’ did put up some memorable performances as captain despite going through tough times with the side. Even his second best knock of 186* against New Zealand was achieved as a captain. With respect to the amount of success he achieved during his legendary career, the Mumbaikar’s 2454 runs at 37.75 as a skipper from 70 innings was well below his standards.

The right-hander failed to discover his maximum potential with the bat and it can be said that Tendulkar was the classic example that not everyone can be successful as a captain. As a non-captain, the Indian great averaged 46.16 and scored a jaw-dropping 15972 runs including 43 tons.

#4 Alec Stewart

The England wicket-keeper batsman led in 41 ODIs and registered only 924 runs at 23.10 per dismissal. The right-hander’s numbers as non-captain is reasonably acceptable for a stumper – 3753 runs at 34.75 per dismissal with four tons and 22 50+ scores in 121 innings.

Notably, as a captain, Stewart was dismissed five times without scoring.

#3 Brian Lara

An average of 35.81 and more than 3500 runs as captain cannot be termed as a failure, yet, Lara should have done more with the abundant talent he owned. His numbers as a non-captain confirm that the West Indies left-hander had a great career with 6680 runs at 43.66 with 14 tons.

However, while leading the side, despite having scored 5 hundreds and 18 fifties in 119 innings, the Trinidadian could not completely utilize his batting prowess much like Sachin Tendulkar.

#2 Andy Flower

Even though the Zimbabwean started off with three 50+ scores in his first eight innings as captain, his seven-year long stint (1993-2000) as the captain was undoubtedly the worst period for him as a batsman. The talented left-hander tasted disappointing failures during his time at the helm as 1207 runs at 25.14 in 50 innings is all he could manage.

Considering how good a player he was both before and after his tenure as skipper, it can be said the pressure of leading a side affected his personal form big time. As a non-captain, the wicket-keeper batsman averaged 38.74. A spectacular average of 47.22 in 39 matches under Heath Streak after stepping down from the top job sums it up.

#1 Sunil Gavaskar

While the captaincy changed hands between Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar more than once in the 1980s, it was the former Indian opener’s form which took a beating during his tenure. Taking over the reins of the side by the end of 1980, Gavaskar only managed a single half-century in 11 matches he took part in the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup involving Australia and New Zealand. A poor home and away series against England followed by a loss against arch-rivals Pakistan at home, ended his first tenure as captain.

He was marginally better with the bat in his second innings as ODI skipper that gave some credibility to his numbers. As a captain, Gavaskar averaged a below par 26.00 compared to 39.18 as non-captain. Overall, his 31 innings leading the one-day side fetched only 702 runs including 5 half-centuries.