Donning the captain’s hat in Tests is a difficult task given that they have to take tough calls and perform for the team either with bat or ball. A few captains, though, struck a perfect balance between both things and impressed everyone with their run-scoring abilities.
Apart from leading the team to memorable wins, they also amassed runs in difficult conditions in both home and away Test matches.
So, here are the top 10 batters with the most runs as captains in Tests.
Most Runs as a Captain in Test
| Captain | Innings | Runs | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graeme Smith (SA) | 193 | 8659 | 47.83 |
| Allan Border (AUS) | 154 | 6623 | 50.94 |
| Ricky Ponting (AUS) | 140 | 6542 | 51.51 |
| Virat Kohli (IND) | 113 | 5864 | 54.80 |
| Joe Root (ENG) | 118 | 5295 | 46.44 |
| Clive Lloyd (WI) | 111 | 5233 | 51.30 |
| Stephen Fleming (NZ) | 135 | 5156 | 40.59 |
| Alastair Cook (ENG) | 111 | 4844 | 46.57 |
| Brian Lara (WI) | 85 | 4685 | 57.83 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq (PAK) | 99 | 4214 | 51.39 |
Key Insights
8659: South Africa’s Graeme Smith accumulated the most runs as a captain in Tests. He scored 8659 runs in 193 innings while leading South Africa in Tests. Smith stands as a true beacon of light for other captains.
25: During his 11-year stint as a skipper, Graeme Smith hammered 25 centuries for South Africa. This is the most centuries scored by a captain in the Test format. And he is overall third across all formats, with 33 hundreds as a skipper.
61: Moreover, Smith has over 61 ‘50-plus scores’ to his name as a captain. And he is one of the 3 skippers who have more than 50 ‘50-plus scores’. The other skippers are Ricky Ponting with 54 and Allan Border with 51.
101.51: This is the impeccable batting average of Australia’s batting stalwart, Don Bran. His average remains the highest among captains, and it is highly unlikely any captain will come close to this mark.
