Top 5 India captains to register whitewashes in T20Is

Shreyas Iyer took a big sigh of relief on Sunday (July 26) when India beat Zimbabwe by 35 runs in the third T20I of the series at the Harare Sports Club. Iyer was under tremendous pressure and set off on this Zimbabwe tour with some trepidation, and he cannot be blamed either.

Iyer could not have imagined a more challenging initiation to his role as India’s T20I captain. While the team was criticised for taking Ireland lightly, they were humbled 4‑0 by England in a five‑match T20I series, which also resulted in the loss of their No. 1 ICC ranking crown.

Although Zimbabwe were no match for India in terms of skill, the manner in which the Men in Blue won the series speaks volumes about their calibre. India were clinical in both batting and bowling, with fielding perhaps being the only area of concern.

With a 3‑0 result, Iyer has now joined an elite list of India captains who have inflicted clean sweeps on opponents in the shortest format. Here is a look at all the India captains who have registered whitewashes in T20Is:

#1 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni was the first India captain to inflict a whitewash in the T20I format. He led India to a 3‑0 sweep over Australia in January 2016. It was a heroic comeback by the Men in Blue down under after they had lost the ODI series 4‑1.

#2 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli inflicted two whitewashes during his tenure as India’s T20I captain. The first came in August 2019 when India blanked the West Indies 3‑0 in the Caribbean. The second was against New Zealand, when India routed them 5‑0 in New Zealand, including two Super Over wins.

#3 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has been the most successful India captain in terms of whitewashing opponents. He led India to six clean sweeps: twice each against the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and once each against New Zealand and Afghanistan.

#4 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav had a memorable run as India captain. Under him, India did not concede a single series and successfully defended their T20 World Cup crown, becoming the first team to achieve the feat at home and win the title thrice.

Suryakumar guided India to two whitewashes. His first came against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka with a 3‑0 win. The second was against Bangladesh in October that year on home turf, where India handed the Bangla Tigers a 3‑0 defeat.

#5 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer has become the latest entrant on the list. Unlike the others, however, his 3‑0 whitewash of Zimbabwe was more of a reprieve than a celebration.