Oldest Indian captain to score 50 in ODIs

In the sport of cricket, captains are arguably the most important and influential members on the field for a team. They take all the decisions for their sides during the games and are expected to have great match awareness along with the cricketing intelligence.

Several players have crumbled under the pressure being in this role, but then there are the likes of Ricky Ponting, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Babar Azam among many others, who thrived under this role and led their teams from the front.

It is often a challenge for the captains to focus on the team and themselves simultaneously. But India, from time-to-time, have been blessed with some top-class captains such as Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly and Kapil Dev, amongst others, who were also great individual performers despite the added responsibilities. On that note, here are the oldest Indian skipper to a score an ODI fifty.

Sunil Gavaskar (35 years and 225 days)

Sunil Gavaskar, one of the best batters of his era, scored 54 off 92 balls against Pakistan in Melbourne in February, 1985. India went on to win the match by six wickets and 25 balls to spare, chasing a total of 184. He also brought up his maiden and only ODI century two years later, becoming ninth oldest player to score an ODI ton. And later that year, in November, he played his last game for India.

Mohammad Azharuddin (36 years and 120 days)

Mohammad Azharuddin was one of the most iconic captains in Indian cricket, having led India in three ODI World Cups between 1992 to 1999. He scored 59 runs off 77 balls against Pakistan at Old Trafford, Manchester, in the 1999 World Cup. India scored 227 for the loss of six wickets in 50 overs, and went on to win the match by 47 runs. At the age of 36 years and 120 days, he is the second-oldest half-centurion for India as captain.

Shikhar Dhawan (36years and 229 days)

Shikhar Dhawan recently became the oldest India captain to score an ODI fifty, when he brought it up on July 22, against West Indies in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He fell just three runs short of a ton in the innings, but finished as the top scorer of the match, scoring a 99-ball 97. India scored 308 for the loss of seven wickets in 50 overs, and also went on to win the match by three runs, with Dhawan being named the Player of the Match.