Top 3 batsmen with the most Test hundreds as captain

Cricket is a unique game. It is one of the few sports in the world where the captain is well and truly in charge of the side. His moves, whether right or wrong are always under the scrutiny and are in direct correlation with the fate of his side.

The way people react to leadership is a reflection of who they really are as a human being in real life. Some get bogged down in a way that their performances as a cricketer take a toll, while some get buoyed by the additional responsibility laid onto them and in a sense, it brings out the best from them.

Today, in this list we'll have a look at the top three cricketers who have led from the font with their bat and have scored the most no. of Test hundreds with the responsibility of leading the side:

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#3 Graeme Smith (25 in 193 innings)

Smith, to date, has been South Africa's best captain ever

Graeme Smith's approach to captaincy mirrored his personality - tenacious, strong and aggressive. He took on the leadership responsibility in rather tumultuous times for South Africa.

The Proteas had just crashed out of the 2003 World Cup at home and with the likes of Donald, Kirsten, Rhodes, and Klusener were all nearing their end, when the 23-year-old Smith ushered in the new era.

He started it with aplomb with twin double hundreds in England (2003) and over the course of the next decade led from the front, scoring 25 tons in 193 innings.

Smith captained South Africa in a world record (109) Test matches and when he finally hung his boots in 2014, his place in the pantheon as one of the greatest leaders the game has been assured.

#2 Ricky Ponting (19 in 140 innings)

Ricky Ponting has been one of the best batsmen of this era

Apart from all the typical Aussie traits - ruthlessness, tough as nail and vocal, there were two things that symbolized Ricky Ponting- the short of a length hook and the sheer desire to be victorious.

He combined the aforementioned traits with aplomb during his seven-year captaincy stint taking Australia to the top of the Test rankings and dominating attacks around the world with his bat.

Between 2002 to 2007 Ponting scored a ridiculous 42 hundreds across all formats and after taking over the mantle from Steve Waugh in January 2004, Ponting scored nineteen Test hundreds as an Aussie skipper in 140 innings.

It may not have been all hunky dory for Ponting- the Test captaincy (losing three Ashes including one at home in 2010-11), but there's little doubt that by the time Punter finished (2012), his place in the pantheon of Aussie batting greats was assured.

#1 Virat Kohli (16 in 63 innings)

Virat Kohli will surely overtake both Smith and Ponting in the coming years

Some people relish the responsibility thrust on them and come out as better individuals while some capitulate to catastrophic effects - Virat Kohli is the flag bearer of the former.

Kohli showed these signs in the very first game in-charge where he scored centuries in both innings against the mighty Aussies in their own backyard. His 141 in the second innings while chasing 364 represents the sheer drive of leading his side from the front.

One of the biggest strengths of Virat Kohli is the suppression of his ego every time he comes out to bat; he is ready to grind it out, get beaten and score ugly.

He's done that with aplomb during his ongoing 'poetic violence' with Jamie Anderson, and an en-route to two tons in six innings (440 runs in six innings), the right-hander has already passed Sachin Tendulkar (426 runs in 1996) for the number of runs by an Indian on English soil to go along with 286 runs in South Africa earlier this year.

Kohli is second only to Sir Don Bradman in terms of captains scoring hundreds per innings. Kohli (16 hundred and six double tons as captain in 63 innings), scores a ton every 3.93 innings compared to Bradman's 2.71, and it his insatiable desire to lead from the front as a batsman is a testimony to his success.