Sachin Tendulkar Captaincy Record in All Format

Sachin Tendulkar Captaincy Record in All Format

Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary cricketer, not only dominated Indian cricket but also left an indelible mark on the global stage. Holding numerous batting records in Test matches and One Day Internationals (ODIs), he stands as a towering figure in the sport. With the highest run tally and a record number of centuries in both formats, Tendulkar’s legacy remains unmatched.

Over the course of his remarkable 24-year career, Tendulkar encountered numerous highs and lows. Amidst the accolades, he faced the dark cloud of match-fixing scandals that shook Indian cricket during the early 2000s. Tendulkar emerged as a lone warrior for the Indian team during overseas tours until other match-winning players stepped up.

In the midst of this turmoil, Tendulkar was entrusted with the additional responsibility of leading the Indian side at a relatively young age. It is fair to say that he did not enjoy the best of tenures as the captain. While the team struggled under his leadership, Tendulkar’s personal performances remained commendable. He captained India in two different phases: from 1996/97 and again in the 1999/00 season after the match-fixing saga.

Let us delve into Tendulkar’s captaincy record in international cricket.

FORMAT	MATCHES AS CAPTAIN	WON	LOST	DRAW	TIED	NR	WIN%
Tests	25	4	9	12	0	0	16.00
ODIs	72	23	42	0	1	6	31.94
Total	97	27	51	12	1	6	27.83

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Undoubtedly, Tendulkar reigned as the best batsman during his era. However, he would be the first to admit that his captaincy career did not mirror his success as a batsman. Leading India in 97 international matches across formats, Tendulkar witnessed more defeats than victories during his captaincy stint. With only 4 wins in 25 Test matches and 23 out of 72 ODIs, his win percentage as captain was a mere 27.83%. These figures illustrate that Tendulkar did not relish his time leading the team.

Tendulkar’s Record as Test Captain of India

During his captaincy, India won only 4 out of 25 Test matches, all of which were played on home soil. Unfortunately, there were no overseas victories under his leadership. The team suffered a 2-0 defeat in the 1996/97 series against South Africa and a 0-1 loss in the 5-match series against West Indies. Furthermore, India endured a crushing 3-0 defeat down under in 1999/2000 during Tendulkar’s second reign as skipper, followed by a rare home series defeat against South Africa in the early 2000s.

Tendulkar remains the only Indian captain who did not win a Test match away from home, making him one of India’s least successful leaders. Despite the lack of team success, Tendulkar thrived as a batsman during his captaincy period. He averaged 51.35 with the bat as captain of the Indian Test team, scoring 2054 runs in the 43 innings he played as captain. Only Virat Kohli (54.40) boasts a higher average than the master blaster among Indian Test captains.

Indian Test Captaincy Record

PLAYER	MATCHES AS CAPTAIN	WON	LOST	DRAWN	TIED	WIN%	OVERSEAS WINS
Virat Kohli	68	40	17	11	0	58.82	16
MS Dhoni	60	27	18	15	0	45	6
Sourav Ganguly	49	21	13	15	0	42.85	11
Mohammad Azharuddin	47	14	14	19	0	29.78	3
Sunil Gavaskar	47	9	8	30	0	19.14	3
Nawab of Pataudi	40	9	19	12	0	22.5	2
Kapil Dev	34	4	7	22	1	11.76	2
Rahul Dravid	25	8	6	11	0	32	5
Sachin Tendulkar	25	4	9	12	0	16	0

During his captaincy, Tendulkar crafted 7 centuries, including a remarkable double century (217) at the Narendra Modi Stadium against New Zealand. Out of these 7 centuries, 4 were achieved away from home. The first away century came in a losing cause at Newlands in South Africa, followed by 2 more in drawn Tests in Sri Lanka. Tendulkar also showcased his brilliance with a Boxing Day century at the MCG, although it too ended in defeat.

Tendulkar’s Record as ODI Captain of India

While Tendulkar was widely regarded as the best player in ODI cricket, his tenure as captain did not yield significant results. Leading the team in 72 ODIs, he won just 23 matches, resulting in a win percentage of 31.94%. Of these 72 games, only 18 were played at home, with India emerging victorious in 10. The majority of the matches were contested away from home or at neutral venues during multi-national tournaments. This highlights India’s struggles as a touring side during that period, making Tendulkar somewhat unlucky.

PLAYER	MATCHES AS CAPTAIN	WON	LOST	TIED	NR	WIN%
MS Dhoni	200	110	74	5	11	59.52
Mohammad Azharuddin	174	90	76	2	6	54.16
Sourav Ganguly	146	76	65	0	5	53.9
Virat Kohli	95	65	27	1	2	70.43
Rahul Dravid	79	42	33	0	4	56.00
Kapil Dev	74	39	32	0	2	54.16
Sachin Tendulkar	73	23	43	1	6	35.07

Comparing the captaincy records of various Indian skippers, Tendulkar possesses the lowest win percentage among them, even when compared to World Cup-winning captains MS Dhoni and Kapil Dev. Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli, and Mohammad Azharuddin led the team to the knockout stages of the World Cup. It should be noted that Tendulkar led the team during a phase of transition and internal turmoil. Assuming captaincy at the young age of 23, he faced immense pressure.

Unlike his Test captaincy, Tendulkar’s batting average as an ODI captain (38.33) was lower than his career average of 44.48 in a staggering 463 games. However, his memorable unbeaten knock of 186 against New Zealand at Hyderabad came during his captaincy.

MS Dhoni holds the record for the most runs scored as ODI captain of India with 6641 runs, while Virat Kohli boasts an incredible average of 72.65 after 91 games, the best among Indian captains.

Despite being the best batsman of his generation, Tendulkar did not thrive as the captain of the national team. This may be one of the reasons why he declined the opportunity to reclaim the Indian captaincy in 2007 after Rahul Dravid’s resignation. The baton was passed to MS Dhoni, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Sachin Tendulkar IPL Captaincy Record

	TEAM	MATCHES	WON	LOST	DRAW	N/R	WIN%
Sachin Tendulkar	Mumbai Indians	51	30	21	0	0	58.82