Leading the Indian cricket team across formats is one of the sport’s biggest honors, but it doesn’t always begin with success. A select few Indian captains have faced the rare misfortune of losing their debut match in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, highlighting how leadership transitions can sometimes start on a rocky note before finding rhythm. Here are Indian captains to lose debut match in all three formats men’s international:
1. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli lost his first matches as captain in:
ODI: July 2, 2013, against Sri Lanka (lost by 161 runs): Virat Kohli’s debut as captain in an ODI match was on July 2, 2013, against Sri Lanka at Kingston. India lost this match by a massive margin of 161 runs. Specifically, this ODI defeat was part of the West Indies Tri-Nation Series. In this game, India was bowled out for 187 runs in 44.5 overs chasing Sri Lanka’s total of 348 for 1, reflecting a dominant performance by the Sri Lankan side.
Test: December 9-13, 2014, against Australia (lost by 48 runs): Virat Kohli, as India’s Test captain, played his first Test match in that role against Australia from December 9-13, 2014, at Adelaide. India lost the match by 48 runs while chasing a target of 364 runs. This defeat marked Kohli’s debut Test captaincy loss. His first ODI as captain was in July 2013 against Sri Lanka, where India lost by 161 runs. Kohli’s debut as T20I captain came later, on January 26, 2017, against England in Kanpur, resulting in a 7-wicket loss for India.
T20I: January 26, 2017, against England (lost by 7 wickets): Virat Kohli’s debut as India captain in T20 Internationals was on January 26, 2017, against England at Green Park, Kanpur. In this match, India lost to England by 7 wickets. Kohli opened the batting and scored 29 runs off 26 balls but struggled to score quickly due to the pitch conditions. England chased down the target of 147 with 7 wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare.
2. Shubman Gill
T20I debut as captain: July 6, 2024, against Zimbabwe (lost by 13 runs): Shubman Gill made his captaincy debut in T20I cricket on July 6, 2024, against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club, but India lost that match by 13 runs. In his debut T20I, India was defeated by Zimbabwe.
Test debut as captain: June 20-24, 2025, against England (lost by 5 wickets): Shubman Gill made his Test debut as captain of India from June 20 to 24, 2025, against England at Headingley, Leeds. India lost that match by 5 wickets. Despite the initial captaincy setbacks, Gill showcased leadership potential, including a rapid half-century in his Test captaincy debut innings, and is seen as a young captain with room to grow and improve.
ODI debut as captain: October 19, 2025, against Australia (lost by 7 wickets): Shubman Gill made his ODI captaincy debut on October 19, 2025, against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. India lost the match by 7 wickets in a rain-affected game, with India scoring 136 runs for 9 wickets in 26 overs, failing to defend a DLS-adjusted target of 131 runs. Gill himself was dismissed for 10 runs, and the Indian batting lineup struggled against Australian pacers exploiting the pace and bounce of the pitch. The ODI loss followed that pattern, completing this unwanted milestone in his leadership career as captain of the Indian team.
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Thus, Shubman Gill’s captaincy debut across all formats has been marked by initial defeats, paralleling Virat Kohli’s earlier record, emphasizing a challenging start to his leadership in men’s international cricket.
