Ranking top 5 aggressive captains in cricket history

The captain of a cricket team plays such a vital role in the success of the side. It is the captain who takes responsibility for the victory and defeat of a team, and it is the captain who makes several tactical changes for his side as well.

And, the game of cricket has had captains with different personalities. While some captains were cool in nature, some were aggressive, both in their tactics, as well as in the way they conducted themselves on the field.

In this article, let us take a look at the top five most aggressive captains that the game of cricket has ever seen.

5. Imran Khan

Under the dynamic leadership of Imran Khan, the Pakistan side became a force to reckon with. Pakistan experienced its greatest cricketing moment when it lifted the 1992 World Cup, and it was Khan who made it happen.

Also, it was under Imran Khan that Pakistan became a fast-bowling powerhouse as well, with the legendary Wasim Akram, and the fiery Waqar Younis terrorizing batsmen with their guile with both the new as well as the old ball. And, it was Khan who honed the skills of Akram and Younis in the early parts of their careers and instilled a sense of aggression into the side.

Imran Khan was a captain who exuded charisma, was fiery with the ball, aggressive with the bat, and did not hesitate to even have a go at the opposition when the need arose. Khan led Pakistan in 48 Tests, and 139 ODIs. The Pakistan great featured in 88 Tests and 175 ODI matches for Pakistan. While he scalped 362 wickets in the whites, he picked up 182 wickets in ODIs as well.

Imran Khan also scored 3807 runs in Test cricket at an average of 37.69. In coloured clothing, the cricketing legend plundered 3709 runs. He played his last match for his country in the year 1992.

4. Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh made the Australian side a force to reckon with during his tenure as the skipper between 1997 and 2004. The Australian side won the 1999 World Cup under Waugh’s stewardship.

Waugh was a captain who had run-ins with the opposition players and indulged in a ‘war of words’ with the opposition. He played a key role in instilling the aggressive spirit in the side.

Waugh led Australia in 57 Test matches, and the kangaroos emerged triumphant in 41 of those games. He also led the kangaroos in 106 ODIs matches, and the Aussies won 67 of those games. In a career that spanned almost two decades, Steve Waugh represented Australia in 168 Tests and 325 ODI matches.

While he plundered a colossal 10927 runs in Test cricket, he also scored 7569 runs in the ODI format of the game as well. He retired from the international arena in the year 2004.

3. Sourav Ganguly

The image of Sourav Ganguly removing his Indian jersey at the Lord’s balcony and celebrating bare-chested after India won the Natwest Series Final is an image that is part of Indian cricketing folklore. ‘Dada’, as he is referred to, in the world of cricket was the man who instilled fear in the opposition with the way he led the Indian cricket team.

Ganguly was the skipper of the Indian side between 1999 and 2005. The left-handed batting legend led India in 49 Tests and 147 ODI matches. Under Ganguly, India won 76 ODIs and 21 Tests. India won the Natwest Series under the leadership of Ganguly, and also reached the summit clash of the 2003 World Cup as well when Ganguly was at the helm of affairs.

Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs for India. While he scored 7212 runs in Test match cricket, the ‘Prince of Calcutta’ also amassed a colossal 11363 runs in the ODI format of the game. He walked away from the game in the year 2008.

2. Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting will qualify as arguably the greatest captain in the history of the game. A man who did not back down from any challenge, Ponting has indulged in several banters with the opposition players throughout his career. Ponting made Australia an invincible side and led them to two consecutive World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007.

‘Punter’, as he is called in cricketing circles, led Australia in 77 Tests, and a colossal 230 ODI matches. While Australia won 48 Test matches under Ponting, they won a mind-boggling 165 ODI matches under him as well. In fact, Ponting holds the record of leading a cricket team for the most number of occasions in ODIs. Also, it was under Ponting that Australia thrashed England by a margin of 5-0 in the 2006-07 Ashes series as well.

Ricky Ponting was the captain of the Australian side when the infamous ‘MonkeyGate’ episode took place at Sydney in a Test match between India and Australia in the year 2008. Ponting is a legend of Australian cricket and represented the kangaroos in 168 Tests and 375 ODI matches.

While he scored a whopping 13378 runs in Test cricket, Ponting plundered 13704 runs in the ODI format of the game as well. He played his last international match for Australia in the year 2012.

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is a captain who is ‘on the face’ of the opposition. He is a skipper who is extremely animated on the field, has a go at the opposition players, and lifts the morale of the entire side.

In fact, Kohli’s competitive spirit came to the fore in the very first Test match that he led India as a full-time skipper, way back in the year 2014. After MS Dhoni announced a sudden retirement at the conclusion of the third Test match of the 2014-15 series against Australia, Kohli led India in admirable fashion in his first Test as the full-time Indian skipper.

Taking on the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, Kohli scored a classic 147 in the first innings of the 4th Test and helped India salvage a draw. Kohli is a skipper who believes that his side can win from any situation in any format, and this competitive spirit lifts up the other players as well. There have been so many occasions when he has entered into ugly spats with the opposition, but it has only increased his will to succeed more and fueled his energy.

Kohli has led India in 63 Test matches, and 95 ODIs. While India has emerged victorious in 37 Test matches with Kohli donning the skipper’s hat, the Indian side has won 65 ODIs as well, with Kohli leading the side. In T20Is too, the Indian cricketing legend has led India in 45 matches, with the ‘Men in Blue’ winning 27 of those.

Kohli is one of the greatest batsmen that the game of cricket has ever seen. While he scored 7609 runs in 94 Test matches, he has also piled up a whopping 12169 runs from 254 ODI matches as well. Kohli is also the highest run-scorer in T20I cricket and has scored a staggering 3159 runs. Kohli will next be seen on the cricket field when he will lead the Indian side in the third Test match against England on 25th August 2021. Indeed, Kohli is the most aggressive captain that the game of cricket has ever seen.