Top 5 captains who won most matches in Test Cricket

Test Cricket is the toughest format of the game. Players and captain have to be at their best for the five days. The role of the captain is much more important in Test cricket than in other formats of the game. Captains have to think of different strategies to stay one step ahead of the opposition.  

One wrong decision can change the entire scenario of the match. Many captains in Test cricket won the match with their brilliant captaincy. Here are the Top 5 captains who won the most matches in Test Cricket.

5. Clive Lloyd - 36 wins

Clive Lloyd comes at number five in terms of winning the most matches as a captain in Test cricket. Lloyd captained West Indies from 1974 to 1985. He led West Indies in 74 matches out of which he won 36 matches. Clive lost 12 matches and 26 Test matches ended in a draw. His win percentage in Test Cricket is 48.64. He is one of the most successful captains in West Indies cricket history and he also won the 1975 and 1979 World Cups for West Indies.

4. Virat Kohli - 40 wins

Virat Kohli is one of the most successful captains in Test Cricket. He led India to their first-ever Test series victory in Australia. He captained India in 68 matches out of which he won 40. Even though Kohli was not able to win the ICC trophy for the Indian team in limited-overs but he has won the hearts of crores of cricket fans with his excellent captaincy in Tests. Virat Kohli got a chance to captain India in Test Cricket from 2014 to 2022. He lost 17 matches and 11 matches ended in a draw. His win percentage was 58.82.

3. Steve Waugh - 41 wins

Steve Waugh comes in third place in terms of winning the most matches in Test cricket as a captain. Steve Waugh captained Australia from 1999 to 2004. He led Australia in 57 matches out of which he won 41 matches. His win percentage was 71.92.  He lost 9 matches and 7 matches ended in a draw. He also won World Cup for Australia in 1999.

2. Ricky Ponting - 48 wins

Ricky Ponting is considered one of the smartest captains in the history of cricket. Ricky Ponting led Australia in 77 Test matches and out of which he won 48 matches. He lost 16 matches and 13 matches ended in a draw during his captaincy tenure. His win percentage was 62.33. He also won the 2003 and 2007 World Cup for Australia. If we talk about the captains who have won the most matches in test cricket, then Ricky Ponting comes second on this list.

1. Graeme Smith - 53 matches

Graeme Smith won the most matches as Test Captain. He captained South Africa from 2003 to 2014. He led South Africa in 109 matches and won 53 out of them. He lost 29 matches and 27 matches ended in a draw under his captaincy. His win percentage was 48.62. He got the captaincy of South Africa at a very young age but he managed the team better and today his name is taken among the most successful captains in Test cricket history.