| Captain | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishan Singh Bedi | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Virat Kohli | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 28.57 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.33 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.00 |
| Anil Kumble | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25.00 |
Key Insights
In 1977, the Indian team scripted history with their first Test match victory in Australia under Bishan Singh Bedi’s captaincy. India won the 1977 Melbourne Test by 222 runs.
Bedi also remains the only Indian skipper to win consecutive Tests down under. India followed their Melbourne win with a victory in Sydney in early 1978.
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are the other Indian skippers with multiple Test match victories in Australia.
Kohli and Rahane also scripted series triumphs each down under. Kohli did so on the 2018/19 tour before Rahane imitated it in 2020/21. Explore India’s Overseas Test performances post 2015 in this blog.
Rahane and Kapil Dev are the two Indian skippers not to lose a Test in Australia. While Dev couldn’t taste a win, the three Tests he led in the 1985/86 series ended in draws.
Lala Amarnath, Mohammad Azharuddin, and MS Dhoni lost four Tests each, the most by Indian captains in Australia.
Amarnath was also the first to captain India on their first Australia tour in 1947/48.
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (1967/68), Sachin Tendulkar (1999/2000), and MS Dhoni (2011/12) couldn’t avoid a series whitewash in Australia.
