To suffer an innings defeat in Test cricket or a first-class match is something that no team wants do to. It not only is a defeat, but it is a thing that shows that the opponent team was much mightier than your team also. In the longer format of the game, if a team is able to win a match by an innings, it means they scored as many runs in one go that their opponents could in two.
In the last few years, the Indian cricket team has recorded many innings wins at home. The Indian batsmen dominate the opposition bowlers, and then the Indian bowlers do the job with the ball. In some games, they take 20 wickets before allowing the opposition team to even match the one-innings score of the Indian cricket team. While the Indian cricket team has registered multiple wins, they have been on the receiving end as well on a few occasions.
Just recently, the England cricket team defeated the Indian cricket team by an innings and 76 runs. It was the 2nd time India lost a Test match by an innings under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. In this article today, we will look at the three Indian captains who suffered the most innings defeats as captains in Test cricket.
3. MAK Pataudi – 4 innings defeats
Regarded as one of the greatest Indian captains ever, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi became the skipper of the Indian team at the age of 21. He led the Indian team in 40 Test matches, where the team recorded nine victories. It is pertinent to note that the Indian squad at that time was not so dominant. Still, they managed to record their first-ever overseas win against New Zealand in 1967. Under Pataudi’s captaincy, India lost 19 Tests, of which only four were innings losses.
2. Lala Amarnath – 4 defeats
Lala Amarnath was the first Indian captain to register multiple Test victories. He captained India in Test matches between 1947 and 1952. Under his leadership, India won two Tests and suffered six defeats, four of them were innings defeats.
1. MS Dhoni – 8 defeats
MS Dhoni held the record for the most Test wins by an Indian captain before Virat Kohli overtook him. Dhoni was very successful as the Indian captain, as India won 27 Test matches under his captaincy. However, they also lost games by an innings, the most under any skipper.
