Surya has performed exceptionally well as a T20 captain in this tournament. However, his name has now been included among the few Indian captains whose captaincy has led Team India to the World Cup final. Here’s the list of captains who led India into the World Cup Finals.
5 captains who took Team India to the World Cup final
1. Kapil Dev – 1983 ODI World Cup
Under Kapil Dev’s captaincy, Team India reached its first World Cup final. Defeating the West Indies in the 1983 ODI World Cup final gave India its first world title. In that World Cup, Kapil Dev played a historic unbeaten innings of 175 against Zimbabwe, saving Team India from elimination.
2. Sourav Ganguly – 2003 ODI World Cup
Under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy, Team India reached the final of the ODI World Cup after 20 years. India reached the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup held in South Africa, where they lost to Australia. Ganguly scored three centuries in that tournament.
3. MS Dhoni – 2007 T20Is, 2011 ODIs, 2014 T20Is
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is considered India’s most successful captain. Dhoni is the only captain to have led Team India to three World Cup finals (twice in T20Is and once in ODIs). Under his captaincy, India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 2011 ODI World Cup. Team India also reached the final of the 2014 T20 World Cup, but lost to Sri Lanka.
4. Rohit Sharma – 2023 ODIs, 2024 T20Is
Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Team India has evolved into a highly aggressive and fearless team. Under his leadership, India played in two consecutive World Cup finals. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, India remained unbeaten and reached the final. Then, in the 2024 T20 World Cup, India was crowned World Champions by defeating South Africa.
5. Suryakumar Yadav – 2026 T20 World Cup
Suryakumar Yadav is the latest addition to this list. He took over as captain of Team India after Rohit Sharma retired from T20 Internationals and led India to the finals in his very first major tournament. Defeating England in the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup marked India’s second consecutive T20 World Cup final.
