Captains to have played most ICC finals

It is one thing to lead your team well, but something quite other different and quite taxing to lead your nation to the final of a major ICC event. An ICC world event has been active in the men's international game from the onset of 1975, which is when the men's game saw the first-ever ODI World Cup.

But ever since then, there have been countless touraments where an ICC trophy at large has been captured by a recurring personality. This could be said true in the case of the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup. 

Post the 1975 time period where the men's sport saw just the ODI World Cup, the ICC added the T20 World Cup as well as the World Test Championship final, the latter done perceptibly to amplifiy the reach and appeal of Test cricket. Now, having said that, which captains have since 1975 until the present day, led their nation to most ICC finals? Any guess?

Rohit Sharma - 4 ICC events finals

The classy and elegant batter has led India to as many as four ICC world event finals. He may have retired from the Test format, but that wasn't before leading the team to the final of the WTC, which India lost to Australia, in 2023. 

While he helped the team win its second-ever T20 World Cup title, which took place over half a year ago in the West Indies, Rohit Sharma also played a fine hand in taking Team India to the ODI World Cup final of the 2023 men's fifty over event.

It was, nonetheless, a heartbreak for Team India. But earlier this year, Rohit led India to a vital CT triumph, playing the big final against the BlackCaps in Dubai, which was a fine exhibition of total team effort on India's part.

MS Dhoni - 4 ICC events finals 

He's called the finest wicketkeeping batter ever from India and truth be told, there won't be too many who would deny that claim. It's a big tag that Dhoni has come to own, thanks to his exuberant leadership with the gloves, marked by lightning fast reflexes and big scoring ways, despite batting from the lower order.

That being told, once the Ganguly-led era was over, Dhoni, the captain, ushered great change in Indian cricket. He helped lay the foundation for the smashing careers of Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin, two of his close friends and dear comrades in the Indian team, who helped the country attain several game wins.

Dhoni, the captain led India to as many as 4 ICC finals.

Not only did he help the country win its first-ever T20 World Cup trophy, circa 2007 thanks to a brilliant and nervy win against Pakistan, but also the famed 2011 ODI World Cup win.

India also won the 2013 ICC Champion's Trophy under MS Dhoni's genius leadership, a period of time where the Rohit-Shikhar pairing was at its sublime best.

Next up, he would lead India to play the big 2014 T20 World Cup final. Sadly, on that occasion, India lost to Sri Lanka, thanks to a dominant Sanga and Mahela show, the left hander scoring a fine fifty.

Ricky Ponting - 4 ICC events finals

Nicknamed "Punter" and adored for his graceful timing of the white-ball and that uncanny abillity to manufacture the famed pull shot off the front foot, Ponting was about as exemplary as a batsman as he was the captain of Australia.

He was once part of the famed batting line-up in the late ninties and throughout the 2000s that included Matt Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and of course, not to forget, the Waugh brothers.

His instinct for domination really set the Aussies apart during their peak days of dominating the sport, especially in the white-ball format.

But as a captain, he attained global fame for leading Australia to some of their most treasured wins in the sport. 

He took Australia to four ICC finals across different competitions.

For starters, Ponting led the Aussies to their 2003 and 2007 World Cup victories, which were emphatic and inspiring triumphs. But besides that, in 2006, in Mumbai, it was under Ricky Ponting's astute leadership that the Australians laid their hands around the CT crown in India, beating the West Indies.

Then, once again, in October 2009, he led Australia to their Champion's Trophy triumph in which the team beat big rivals, the BlackCaps. 

Kane Williamson - 3 ICC events finals

Kane is able and wise as a leader and a precious all-format batter for the BlackCaps. The man with a heart of gold and someone who is really respected around the world for his sense of simplicity and integrity with which he conducts himself; it could be argued, there are cricketers and then, there's a Williamson.

The self-confessed Sachin Tendulkar fan took his New Zealand team to the 2019 ODI World Cup final, which England won on the count of the most boundaries hit after the super-over too, failed to yield a satisfactory result. 

Post-that, Williamson led his courageous and consistent Test unit to the win in the WTC final. What was interesting was to note Williamson's consistency as leader even in the shortest format, wherein he took the side to the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup.

Despite scoring a daring and very captain-like 85 from just 48, Kane Williamson couldn't win the game on that occasion as the Aussies stole the show.

Pat Cummins - 3 ICC finals

Pat Cummins is called the 'superman' of Australian cricket and truth be told, it could well be that in this post-Ricky Ponting era, he's emerged as the most balanced and rational thinking Australian captain.

A worthy all-rounder who has really excelled in Test match cricket, Cummins' fine talent is emblematic of the fact that several new and growing Australian careers such as those of Alex Carey and Josh Inglis and the likes are emerging under his leadership. Ditto also for Scott Boland!

Thus far, Cummins has helped Australia reach the finals of an ICC event on as many as 3 occasions. 

He won the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, which was a shocker and heartbreak for Indian fans as the team was playing to full potential when Travis Head took the game away.

Prior to that, Cummins led the Aussies to the victory in the ICC Test Championship final (for 2021-23 cycle). And likewise, he is also leading the nation to their next big adventure, the WTC final for 2025, to be played against South Africa.

It's worth noting the stats and achievements of two of India's most famous and respected leaders: