Are These the Perfect Identity Tags for India’s Cricket Leaders?
The Indian team has been led by a number of stars, who left their mark in almost every format of the game. Due to their on-field performance and presence, these stars have also received tags to their names.
Over the past few years, a number of legendary stars have led the Indian team in all the formats of the game. Some of them were able to dominate in the limited overs format, while the others thrived in Test cricket. But there was one thing common in all of them, they were ready to give their best for the team once they were on the field.
This has helped the Indian captains to not only etch their names in cricket history but also to be remembered by the fans for a long time. Earlier, fans called it Tendulkar’s era, or Dravid’s era, which lasted for a long time for the team.
After their retirements, stars like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli stepped front to lead the team. They not only set records in their names, but the Indian team also thrived under the captaincy of all of them. Such dedication to the game and their team helped these legendary players get nicknames or tags.
| Captain | Nickname |
|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | Captain Cool |
| Virat Kohli | The King |
| Rohit Sharma | Hitman |
| Sachin Tendulkar | Master-Blaster |
| Rahul Dravid | The Wall |
As the team goes through the transition phase, the fans will also be looking forward to the Prince, Shubman Gill. He took the helm after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the Test format, and is looking forward to being a long-term option for the team. Let’s take a look at the list of Indian captains and their nicknames.
MS Dhoni — Captain Cool
MS Dhoni, the Captain Cool of the Indian cricket team, has led the team to win three ICC trophies within a few years. As a captain, he has won the ICC T20 World Cup 2007, ICC World Cup 2011, and ICC Champions Trophy 2013, creating his mark as the best captain for the Indian team in the ICC events.
Recently, Dhoni also filed a trademark for Captain Cool phrase on the Trade Marks Registry Portal. The portal also confirmed that the trademark has now been accepted and verified, allowing Dhoni to use the same for purposes such as sports training, coaching services and training centres.
The tag of Captain Cool was earned by MS Dhoni for his calm and composed nature on the field, which has surely helped India to win games even in high-pressure situations. He is a lot different from the other cricketers, as he doesn’t let the pressure take over him at any moment.
Dhoni has also made some commendable decisions, such as giving the last over of the 2007 T20 World Cup final to Joginder Sharma, and promoting himself in the batting order in the 2011 World Cup final. Such moments have surely been a lot helpful for not just Dhoni, but the entire Indian cricket team, to win the finals and take home the title.
With Dhoni staying calm in all the matches, his calmness also increased the team’s confidence, giving them hope and also helped them to stay focused. His temperament, finishing skills, and strategic brilliance are enough to convince the fans why he is called the Captain Cool, a tag which defines the most successful and strategic captain of the Indian cricket team.
Virat Kohli — The King
A youngster who made his debut under MS Dhoni went on to create his legacy while being the captain of the team. Virat Kohli is also known as the King of Cricket, for his batting prowess, which makes even the legendary players worldwide to go just Wow, when he comes out to bat.
Virat Kohli was given the captaincy of the Indian team by MS Dhoni in 2014, when he announced his retirement from the Test format. In his first Test match as a captain, Kohli went on to smash centuries in consecutive Test innings in Australia, etching his name to the history books.
Under his captaincy, an Indian side was created which dominated in almost every nation, whether it was South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, and even England. Having secured 40 wins in 68 Test matches as a captain, he is also the most successful red-ball captain of the team.
He is also known for playing great knocks when the team needs them the most. Whether it is his 117 against New Zealand in the 2023 WC final, 76 against South Africa in the 2024 T20 WC final, 82 against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 WC, and countless more. Kohli was even a crucial part of the Indian line-up in the T20 World Cups for several years.
Virat Kohli is known as the King for his batting style and also the range of records he holds. He has the highest runs in an IPL season, when he scored 973 in IPL 2016, most runs in an ICC World Cup, scoring 765 runs in the 2023 World Cup, most centuries in ODI format, with 51 centuries, and countless more.
Rohit Sharma — Hitman
Rohit Sharma holds the nickname of Hitman for the Indian cricket team, and despite his retirement from the Test and T20I formats, his legacy as a captain lives on for the team. Under the Hitman’s captaincy, the Indian team was able to make it to consecutive finals of ICC events, where they even won in the T20 World Cup 2024 and the Champions Trophy 2025.
The Hitman tag was given to Rohit Sharma for his daddy hundreds era, where he scored three double centuries in the ODI format. Regardless of the bowler or team which was placed in front of him, he surely had the main objective to send the ball off the boundary line and beyond.
If there was a recent example of the Indian team of captains leading from the front, it would be Rohit Sharma, as he changed the team’s approach. During the Asia Cup 2023, he adopted an aggressive approach from the very first over, which helped India’s batting line-up to continue even after he lost his wicket, scoring quick runs.
Along with that, the Hitman is being regarded as one of the finest white ball captains for the team, as he has won two ICC titles for India. Not only that, his captaincy is also seen in the IPL, where he won five IPL titles for the Mumbai Indians in quick succession.
The Hitman also holds several records to his name, including most centuries in a World Cup edition, when he scored 5 centuries in the 2019 World Cup, scoring more than 6000 runs in the IPL. Along with that, he also held the record for most sixes in the 2023 World Cup, where he smashed 31 sixes throughout the tournament.
Sachin Tendulkar — Master Blaster
Sachin Tendulkar, also known as the Master Blaster, became the frontline commander of India’s batting line-up and held the spot for more than a decade. The name Master Blaster was given to him due to his master technique and explosive shot selection.
Tendulkar made his debut just at the age of 16, and at that time, he faced deadly bowlers such as Shane Warne, Waqar Younis, and many more. But the fear was never in his eyes whenever he came out to bat. Although he has not achieved much for the Indian team as a captain, he surely has achieved a lot as a batsman.
Just after making his debut for the team at a young age, Tendulkar went on to smash centuries not only in India but even across the other countries. By the time Sachin Tendulkar turned 25, he already had an impressive total of 16 International centuries to his name.
And who knew that the Master Blaster would end his career on a high note, with 100 International centuries, out of which 51 are in Tests and the remaining are in ODIs. Sachin is not called the Master Blaster just for his batting style, he is also known by this name for setting the benchmark for Indian cricket across the Test and ODI formats of the game.
Rahul Dravid — The Wall
Rahul Dravid, also known as The Wall of Indian cricket, is still remembered by the fans for his defensive style of play. This name was given to him for his solid defence, which acted as a wall even against the toughest bowlers of all time. Thus, this nickname suits his style of play perfectly, patient, flawless, and reliable.
In both ODI and Test formats, Dravid has been known as the backbone of India’s batting first, holding one end of the crease to a great extent, especially in the Test format. With his perfect footwork, exceptional concentration and a strong defensive game, he had been one of the best batsmen for the team of all time.
Even the all-time greatest bowlers found it difficult to break the defence of Rahul Dravid. Regardless of bowl speed, its line and length, and the strategic planning done by the opponent captain, he would just defend the ball with ease. His defence was always precise, which even made the commentators laugh at the bowlers that they were bowling on a wall.
His star innings often came at times when India’s batting order was in trouble, whether it was in Australia, scoring a century in 2001, or his double century in Adelaide during 2003. It always seemed challenging for the bowlers to take his wicket or even break through his defence.
Not only as a captain, the Wall Rahul Dravid also holds his legacy as a coach of the Indian team. He led the Indian team in 2024 to win the T20 World Cup, ending the 11-year ICC title drought.
All of the captains surely had a legacy for the Indian team, contributing their best in every way possible.
Comments