India’s Golden Five | List of Indian captains to win men’s ICC titles

Former all-rounder Kapil Dev was the first Indian captain to lift an ICC title. Back in 1983, the Dev-led Indian Team stunned the world after beating the defending champions and title contenders, the West Indies, in the final of the 60-over ODI World Cup. That win, however, remains the greatest underdog story in the cricket world to date.

19 years later, perhaps the most famous captain of his time, Sourav Ganguly, also claimed an ICC trophy, although jointly, as rain abandoned the 2002 Champions Trophy final between India and Sri Lanka, with the two countries sharing the honours.

Next in line is the most decorated white-ball captain of all time, let alone an Indian, and he’s none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni. MS Dhoni is the only captain to date to win all ICC white-ball tournaments, including the T20 World Cup (in 2007), the One-Day World Cup (in 2011) and the Champions Trophy (in 2013).

Rohit Sharma is fourth on the list. Having come agonisingly close to winning a home ODI World Cup in 2023, where India lost to Australia in the final in Ahmedabad, Rohit-led Indian Team scripted history the next year in the T20 WC in the Americas. After beating South Africa in the final in Barbados, Rohit became the second Indian captain to lift the T20 World Cup title.

Last but not least is Suryakumar Yadav, who recently helped India defend its T20 crown, also becoming the first team to win it at home, and three times, one more than England and West Indies. Against New Zealand in the 2026 edition finale, SKY’s Indian Team romped the Kiwis by 96 runs to lift the trophy and create history.