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There is no doubt that cricket is the most popular sport in India, and with a population of around 1.35 billion, it is extremely difficult to make way into the national side. That’s the reason why some players have to look for alternatives like trying their luck in other countries.
Over the years, quite a few players from India have gone on to play for other countries like England, South Africa, West Indies and New Zealand among the others.
There have also been several players of Indian-origin who have proved their potential while representing other nations. For example, cricketers like Monty Panesar (England), Ish Sodhi (New Zealand), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) and Gurinder Sandhu (Australia) have made their name in the international arena.
Some of the Indian origin cricketers have also led the other countries and tasted a significant amount of success as leaders.
On that note, let’s have a look at five such Indian-origin cricketers who have captained other nations in international matches:
1.) Rohan Kanhai – West Indies
The cricket fans are well aware of the fact that the West Indies team of the 70s was the best in the world. In that era, an Indian-origin cricketer naming Rohan Kanhai led the Caribbeans in 13 Test matches between 1972/73 and 1973/74.
Rohan led West Indies to three Test wins and seven draws. He scored 6,000 runs in his illustrious career before announcing retirement.
2.) Hashim Amla – South Africa
One of the most prolific batters of South African team, Hashim Amla hails from a Gujarat-based family. Amla had been a run-machine for the Proteas ever since he made his international debut.
He even captained the rainbow nation in 14 Tests, losing four and winning as many matches. When it comes to white-ball format, Amla led South Africa in nine ODIs and two T20Is.
3.) Nasser Hussain – England
One of the most renowned Indian-origin cricketers who made a big name playing for another nation is former England skipper Nasser Hussain. He was born in Chennai on March 28, 1968.
During his time as the leader, England played 45 Tests and 56 ODIs. Hussain led the English team to 17 Test victories and 28 ODI wins. He is one of the most successful captains in the vast history of England cricket.
4.) Lisa Sthalekar – Australia
The first woman cricketer to score 1,000 runs and pick 100 wickets in One-Day Internationals, Lisa Sthalekar is arguably the most popular women cricketers. She is also the first female board member of the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA). Lisa was involved in four successful women’s World Cup campaigns for Australia, two each in ODIs and T20Is.
She was also named Australia Women’s Cricketer of the year in 2007 and 2008. Lisa was the No.1 women’s all-rounder when the ICC rankings were introduced in 2008. Incidentally, she retired as the No.1 all-rounder and bowler in T20Is and the No.2 all-rounder and bowler in ODIs. Earlier this year, Sthalekar was inducted into the Hall of Fame by ICC.
5.) Aasif Karim – Kenya
Aasif Karim was a pretty popular and successful captain of Kenya cricket team. He played a total of 34 one-day matches and led Kenya in 21 ODIs, winning six of them.
Aasif hails from an Indian community living in the port town of Mombasa in Kenya. In 2003, Kenya reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time.
