Ranking the top 5 Test captains of all time

The oldest of the three versions of cricket has produced leaders whose temperament, tactical sense and decision-making have influenced eras. An analysis of the top five all-time Test captains (ordered by win percentage, success in challenging conditions and ICC trophies) follows from records provided by trustworthy sources.

1. Steve Waugh (Australia)

With a mind-boggling 71.92 % victory rate in those 41 wins out of 57 Tests, Steve Waugh is the only one with such a record among captains with over 25 games. He was also the first skipper to win a Test series abroad against all the great nations, transforming Australia into a world-gobbling behemoth on seaming tracks and spinning wickets as well.

On the field, Waugh's teams won back-to-back World Cups in 1999 and 2003, making him a title-winning skipper in all forms. Australia under Steve Waugh was a team that travelled from destination to destination, unbeatable, wreaking havoc wherever they went, both domestically as well as internationally, with each and every member of the team being a match-winner in his own right.

2. Ricky Ponting (Australia)

Second is Ponting, who led Australia in 77 Tests and won 48, a 62.34 % success rate. He was equally devastating overseas, plotting series wins in England (2006–07),the  West Indies (2004) and Pakistan (2004). Ponting's ICC trophy cabinet is unparalleled: two Cricket World Cups (2003, 2007) and two Champions Trophies (2006, 2009) to his credit, the most decorated men's captain in ICC events.

Australia were again on their roll with Ricky Ponting at the lead after Steve Waugh had done the improbable, and this team was doing almost the same, scaring every other team on the field!

3. Virat Kohli (India)

Although new to Test captaincy, Kohli had 40 wins from 68 Tests—a 58.8 % win rate, the best among Indian captains with 50+ Tests. Most notably, he plotted record away series victories in Australia (2018–19) and drew with England, showcasing his tactical flexibility abroad. Kohli also led India to the inaugural World Test Championship final in 2021, India's inaugural participation in that summit encounter.

India during the Virat Kohli era in tests was an unbeatable giant, and all teams were made to look weak against them. He took the team to the Number 1 rankings and held the Test Mace for quite a period of time.

4. Graeme Smith (South Africa)

Smith broke the record for most Tests as captain (109) and recorded 53 wins, an incredible 48.62 % winning percentage. He re-engineered South Africa as a tour force, unbeaten overseas series from 2007 to 2013, and won series in Australia (2008–09) and England (2008), few of whom had done that before.

Despite never capturing an ICC title, his longevity and victories across various conditions place him firmly among the legends. He has been the finest captain to have come out of the Proteas stable in so many years, placing him among the finest in the world.

5. Clive Lloyd (West Indies)

Lloyd captained West Indies in 74 Tests, winning 36 at a 48.6 % strike rate. His team went 27 games unbeaten, 11 in a row, and essentially dominated the 1970s, sweeping series locally and internationally. Lloyd also pioneered the pace-battery model and, with his aggressive philosophy, took the Windies to the first Cricket World Cup titles in 1975 and 1979. Before Australia got the hang of it, it was Lloyd's West Indies that had instructed the world on how scary a team can be.

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