Will Dravid the batsman cope with captaincy?

When a player is named captain, you wonder what effect the added responsibility will have on his form. This week, the List looks at batsmen who've struggled as captain and captains who've thrived as batsmen.

Rahul Dravid has been India's batting cornerstone in Tests for several years now and is as dependable as his average of 57.65 indicates. But how has Dravid the batsman fared under the pressure of captaincy? Before his proper appointment, Dravid averaged 17.25 in five Tests as stand-in captain without a single score over 35. Since the series against Sri Lanka at home, Dravid has begun to repair that record, averaging 58.33 in five Tests, with back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan. He now averages 34.85 as captain but with just ten Tests under his belt, it remains to be seen whether his batting will continue to flourish.

Perhaps it is the weight of massive expectation because Dravid's poor form as captain is consistent with the batting records of all Indian captains (in 10 or more Tests) with the marginal exception of Kapil Dev and Bishan Bedi. Sourav Ganguly , India's most successful captain, averaged 37.66 as opposed to 44.33 in the 39 Tests he wasn't captain. Mohammad Azharuddin , Sachin Tendulkar , Sunil Gavaskar , Dilip Vengsarkar , Ajit Wadekar , Vijay Hazare and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Nari Contractor all averaged lesser, though some marginally so, as captain.

Biggest difference in batting average as captain in Tests (qualification: 10 matches both as captain and not as captain)

Player	Span		Capt	Runs	Ave	100		Not	Runs	Ave	100		Diff
R Dravid (ICC/India)	1996-2006		10	488	34.85	2		87	7756	60.12	20		-25.266
IT Botham (Eng)	1977-1992		12	276	13.14	0		90	4924	36.74	14		-23.603
J Darling (Aust)	1894-1905		21	750	21.42	0		13	907	39.43	3		-18.006
VS Hazare (India)	1946-1953		14	874	39.72	2		16	1318	54.91	5		-15.189
MP Vaughan (Eng)	1999-2005		33	2046	35.89	6		31	2549	50.97	9		-15.085
GOB Allen (Eng)	1930-1948		11	271	16.93	0		14	479	31.93	1		-14.995
JC Adams (WI)	1992-2001		15	686	31.18	1		39	2326	45.60	5		-14.426
GM Turner (NZ)	1969-1983		10	616	34.22	2		31	2375	48.46	5		-14.247
RB Richardson (WI)	1983-1995		24	1302	35.18	2		62	4647	47.90	14		-12.718
FMM Worrell (WI)	1948-1963		15	849	40.42	0		36	3011	52.82	9		-12.395

Perhaps the most outstanding example of leading by example was Imran Khan. Five of Imran's six Test hundreds and 14 of his 18 fifties came in 48 Tests as captain . His average during that time was 52.34, higher than the averages of Ian Chappell, Clive Lloyd, Steve Waugh, Gavaskar and Javed Miandad. Before being given the captaincy, Imran averaged around 25 with both bat and ball but the increased responsibility suited his inspirational character well. Unlike several allrounders, his bowling didn't suffer while his batting improved: Imran averaged 20.26 with the ball and four of his six ten-wicket hauls came as captain.

Bob Simpson took 30 Tests to score his first century and when he did breach that barrier in his seventh Test as captain of Australia, he made it count by scoring 311. While Simpson scored all his ten centuries as captain, none of Ian Botham's 14 hundreds and only one fifty came during the 12 Tests that he led England. Handed the responsibility after just three years and 25 matches on the international circuit, Botham floundered miserably and averaged 13.14 with the bat. England won nothing under Botham and he resigned after the second Ashes Test at Lord's in 1981. Such was Botham's relief that in the remaining four Tests under Mike Brearley he hit a stunning streak and scripted the famous `Botham's Ashes.'

Biggest difference in batting average as captain in Tests (qualification: 10 matches both as captain and not as captain)

Player	Span		Capt	Runs	Ave	100		Not	Runs	Ave	100		Diff
Imran Khan (Pak)	1971-1992		48	2408	52.34	5		40	1399	25.43	1		26.911
GA Gooch (Eng)	1975-1995		34	3582	58.72	11		84	5318	35.93	9		22.788
TL Goddard (SAf)	1955-1970		13	1092	49.63	1		28	1424	27.92	0		21.714
RB Simpson (Aust)	1957-1978		39	3623	54.07	10		23	1246	33.67	0		20.398
WW Armstrong (Aust)	1902-1921		10	616	56.00	3		40	2247	35.66	3		20.333
HH Streak (Zimb)	1993-2005		21	1013	36.17	1		44	977	16.01	0		20.162
Hanif Mohammad (Pak)	1952-1969		11	881	58.73	4		44	3034	41.00	8		17.733
PBH May (Eng)	1951-1961		41	3080	54.03	10		25	1457	36.42	3		17.610
T Taibu (Zimb)	2001-2005		10	674	37.44	1		14	599	23.96	0		13.484
Inzamam-ul-Haq (ICC/Pak)	1992-2006		19	1756	62.71	7		88	6416	49.35	18		13.360

As captain, Graham Gooch was a vastly better Test batsman but his form suffered in the one-day format. Around 1990 when Gooch was pulverising Test attacks at 58.72 per innings, bowlers tied him down to an average of 29.95 in ODIs. Gooch scored just one hundred and seven half-centuries in 50 ODIs as captain.

Inzamam-ul-Haq has been in magnificent form after his axing - albeit briefly - following a disastrous World Cup and he's been the rock around which Pakistan have rallied. In just 19 Tests as captain, Inzaman has hit 7 hundreds and 10 fifties and his ODI average is close to touching 50. Captaincy also did wonders for Heath Streak's batting in both forms of the game. In 68 ODIs as captain, Streak averages nearly 40 as opposed to the 22.23 while not leading the side. His only Test hundred was scored as captain and his average as captain in Tests is 36.17.

Biggest difference in batting average as captain in ODIs (qualification: 20 matches both as captain and not as captain)

Player	Span		Capt	Runs	Ave	100		Not	Runs	Ave	100		Diff
HH Streak (Afr/Zimb)	1993-2005		68	1431	39.75	0		121	1512	22.23	0		17.514
GS Chappell (Aust)	1971-1983		49	1718	45.21	3		25	613	30.64	0		14.560
Inzamam-ul-Haq (Asia/Pak)	1991-2006		64	2227	49.48	2		288	8930	38.32	8		11.162
Aamer Sohail (Pak)	1990-2000		22	830	41.50	1		134	3950	30.38	4		11.115
ST Jayasuriya (Asia/SL)	1989-2006		118	4377	38.73	10		232	6079	28.53	9		10.194
Khaled Mashud (Bang)	1995-2005		24	492	28.94	0		78	1044	18.98	0		9.959
JG Wright (NZ)	1978-1992		31	1062	34.25	1		118	2829	24.38	0		9.870
MD Crowe (NZ)	1982-1995		44	1634	45.38	1		99	3070	35.69	3		9.691
Imran Khan (Pak)	1974-1992		139	3247	34.91	1		36	462	25.66	0		9.247
N Kapil Dev (India)	1978-1994		74	1538	29.57	1		151	2245	20.98	0		8.595

Biggest difference in batting average as captain in ODIs (qualification: 20 matches both as captain and not as captain)

Player	Span		Capt	Runs	Ave	100		Not	Runs	Ave	100		Diff
IVA Richards (WI)	1975-1991		105	3105	38.81	3		82	3616	57.39	8		-18.584
A Flower (Zimb)	1992-2003		52	1207	25.14	0		161	5579	38.74	4		-13.597
AJ Stewart (Eng)	1989-2003		41	924	23.10	0		129	3753	34.75	4		-11.649
GA Gooch (Eng)	1976-1995		50	1378	29.95	1		75	2912	41.60	7		-11.643
MO Odumbe (Kenya)	1996-2003		20	359	18.89	0		41	1050	30.00	0		-11.105
SM Pollock (Afr/ICC/SAf)	1996-2006		97	689	18.13	0		157	1941	27.33	0		-9.206
SM Gavaskar (India)	1974-1987		38	778	28.81	0		70	2314	37.93	1		-9.119
KC Wessels (Aust/SAf)	1983-1994		52	1416	30.12	0		57	1951	38.25	1		-8.127
SR Tendulkar (India)	1989-2006		73	2454	37.75	6		286	11555	45.85	33		-8.099
DI Gower (Eng)	1978-1991		24	601	25.04	1		90	2569	32.51	6		-7.477