Top Five Highest Scores by Indian captains in Test Cricket
India possesses arguably the greatest legacy of legendary batsmen in world cricket, with multiple players going on to become captains in Test cricket.
India played their first Test match in 1932. Until 2024, 36 players have captained the Indian cricket team in Test cricket, and only one of them – Jasprit Bumrah – was a specialist fast bowler. Most of them were batters, a few wicket-keepers and all-rounders.
Indian captains have been the team's front-runners with the bat. Many of them scored centuries, and five of them even crossed a 200-run mark in an innings while leading the team. Additionally, only one Indian captain achieved multiple double hundreds in Tests.
In this article, we will look at the top five scores made by an Indian captain in Test cricket.
5. Sachin Tendulkar - 217 vs New Zealand, 1999

Legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar’s highest score as India’s captain is 217, which he achieved in 1999 against New Zealand in the Ahmedabad test. While batting first, Tendulkar's double century, which included 29 fours, and Sourav Ganguly's century helped India score 583/7d.
New Zealand responded with 308 and India then set a target of 424 for the visitors. In their second innings, the Kiwis lost just two wickets, and the match resulted in a draw.
4. MS Dhoni - 224 vs Australia, 2013
During the 2013 home series, former Indian captain MS Dhoni scored a match-winning knock against Australia in Chennai. With the aid of 24 fours and six sixes, Dhoni batted for 265 balls in the intense heat of Chennai to score 224, leading India to 572 in response to Australia's 380.
India then bowled out Australia for 241 and then comfortably chased down the target of 50 runs. This is Dhoni’s highest test score.
3. Virat Kohli - 235 vs England, 2016

At the peak of his powers, former India skipper Virat Kohli plundered numerous double centuries in Test cricket. One of them took place in 2016 at the Wankhede against England.
While the visitors managed to score 400 runs in the first innings, Kohli's 235 runs, along with centuries from Jayant Yadav and Murali Vijay, helped India reach 631. The game was ultimately won by India by an innings and 36 runs.
2. Virat Kohli - 243 vs Sri Lanka, 2017

Virat Kohli dominated Sri Lanka throughout his career across all three formats of the game. In the Delhi test in 2017, the then-captain Kohli racked up a double hundred and a fifty.
Batting first, Murali Vijay scored 155, while captain Virat Kohli amassed 243 in 284 balls, hitting 25 fours during his innings. They helped India reach a total of 536. As India looked to declare, Kohli struck a quickfire fifty-eight (58) in the second innings. Even so, the game ended in a draw.
1. Virat Kohli - 254* vs South Africa, 2019

Virat Kohli's unbeaten 254 against South Africa in Pune in 2019 stands as the highest score ever by an Indian captain in Test cricket. This was one of the most chanceless double centuries that was witnessed in Test cricket.
Following Mayank Agarwal's century, Kohli scored 254* off 336 balls with 33 fours and two sixes, making a mockery of the South African attack. After declaring at 601, India bowled the Proteas out for 275 and 189 (following on).
Cover Credits - BCCI Official
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