Top five Indian captains by wins in their first 10 Tests, featuring Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill recorded a benchmark victory against Sri Lanka in his 10th match as India captain, an achievement reported on 2026-08-20. That result places him among the top five Indian skippers for wins in their opening ten Tests alongside MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
India has seen several captains make strong starts in Test leadership, with varying long-term records. MS Dhoni won seven of his first 10 Tests as captain and is credited with helping India reach the No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings. Shubman Gill, who succeeded Rohit Sharma as Test captain, began his tenure with a series draw against England in his first outing. Gill has accumulated six victories in his first 10 Tests, a total that matches Sourav Ganguly’s start.
MS Dhoni’s early run is emphasised by his seven wins in the first 10 matches he captained; the article also states, without additional clarification, that "His record of winning the first ten Tests still remains a record for any Indian captain." Dhoni’s start is described as a catalyst for India’s rise in Test cricket in the late 2000s.
Shubman Gill’s tenure is noted for immediate impact: after taking over from Rohit Sharma he led India to a series draw against England in his first assignment and, across his first 10 Tests in charge, recorded six victories. The piece frames Gill’s captaincy as occurring during a phase of transition for the team.
Sourav Ganguly recorded six wins in his first 10 matches as India captain. The article characterises his early captaincy as sporadic but transformative, saying he inherited a rebuilding side, adopted an aggressive leadership style and played a massive role in developing a competitive Indian team.
Virat Kohli registered five wins in his first 10 Tests as full-time captain and is described as "sits at the top of the list of India’s most successful Test captains with an overall win record of 40 matches and an unmatched win percentage." The article adds that under Kohli India enjoyed a dominant era in Tests that included wins in countries such as Australia and Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma also recorded five wins in his first 10 Tests; he finished his captaincy career with 12 wins in 24 Tests and, like Kohli, led India to a World Test Championship Final — Kohli in 2021 and Rohit in 2023.
Subhomoy Datta authored the piece; he has been a sports writer since 2022, holds a BSc in Microbiology from Rastraguru Surendranath College, WBSU, and is currently pursuing a master’s at NIT Surathkal. The article states he follows the game closely and aims to turn sporting moments into stories for fans.