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Shreyas Iyer achieved a new milestone in his international career after becoming India's ODI captain for the first time. He led Team India in the fourth ODI against New Zealand on November 13, 2026. Before getting this opportunity, Iyer had played 85 ODI matches for the national team.
However, he is not the Indian player who played the most matches before becoming captain. Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble holds the top position with 217 ODIs, while Rohit Sharma is second with 171 matches. Several other legendary Indian cricketers also feature on this list.
Let's take a look at the Indian players who played the most ODI matches before becoming captain.
Shreyas Iyer Becomes India's 29th ODI Captain Against New Zealand
Shreyas Iyer became India's 29th ODI captain during the fourth match of the ongoing series against New Zealand. It was his first opportunity to lead India in the 50-over format.
Before making his captaincy debut, Iyer had played 85 ODI matches for India. He has previously captained the national team in T20 cricket and has now added another milestone to his career by leading India in ODIs.
Interestingly, several legendary Indian cricketers played more than 100 ODI matches before getting their first opportunity to captain the team.
Most ODIs Played by Indian Players Before Becoming Captain
Anil Kumble tops the list of Indian players who played the most ODI matches before becoming captain. Rohit Sharma occupies the second position, followed by Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Dravid.
Here is the complete list of Indian players and their ODI appearances before becoming captain.
| Rank | Indian Player | ODIs Before Captaincy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anil Kumble | 217 |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | 171 |
| 3 | Shikhar Dhawan | 142 |
| 4 | Rahul Dravid | 138 |
| 5 | Ajay Jadeja | 129 |
| 6 | Sachin Tendulkar | 119 |
| 7 | Sourav Ganguly | 111 |
| 8 | K. Srikkanth | 111 |
| 9 | Virat Kohli | 104 |
| 10 | Gautam Gambhir | 100 |
| 11 | D. Vengsarkar | 98 |
| 12 | M. Azharuddin | 98 |
| 13 | Suresh Raina | 90 |
| 14 | Shreyas Iyer | 85 |
| 15 | MS Dhoni | 81 |
| 16 | Ravi Shastri | 75 |
| 17 | Hardik Pandya | 71 |
| 18 | Virender Sehwag | 70 |
Anil Kumble Played 217 ODIs Before Becoming India's Captain
Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble holds the record for playing the most ODI matches before becoming India's captain. He had featured in 217 matches before receiving the leadership responsibility.
Rohit Sharma is second on the list with 171 ODI appearances, while Shikhar Dhawan is third with 142 matches. Former captain Rahul Dravid occupies the fourth position with 138 ODIs.
Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are also among the top 10 players, having played 104 and 100 matches, respectively, before becoming India's ODI captain.
Shreyas Iyer Played 85 ODIs Before Captaincy: Where Does He Rank?
Shreyas Iyer occupies the 14th position on this list. He played 85 ODI matches before getting his first opportunity to captain India in the format.
Iyer is ahead of MS Dhoni, Ravi Shastri, Hardik Pandya and Virender Sehwag in terms of ODI appearances before captaincy.
Interestingly, Virender Sehwag had the shortest wait among the players mentioned above. He became India's ODI captain after playing just 70 matches.
Why Is Shreyas Iyer Captaining India Instead of Shubman Gill?
Cricket fans may wonder why Shreyas Iyer is leading India instead of regular ODI captain Shubman Gill.
The reason is India's upcoming Test series against New Zealand. The final ODI of the series is scheduled for November 15, while the Test series will begin on November 19.
Shubman Gill is also India's Test captain. Due to the short gap between the two series, Gill and some other Test players have been rested for the third and fourth ODIs to prepare for the upcoming Test matches.
As a result, Shreyas Iyer has been given the responsibility of leading Team India in the fourth ODI against New Zealand. His first assignment as ODI captain marks another important milestone in his cricket career.
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