4. Maiden Ashes win as a captain in 2013
Traditionally, the true test of an English skipper lies in their Ashes success. Cook, in that terms, was fairly successful having secured two Ashes series win against very strong Australian sides. In all, He led England in 15 Ashes Tests and won four and lost nine matches.
The 2013 homes series against arch-rivals was his first Ashes series. England went in as strong favorites and eventually won the series 3-0 after winning the first, second and fourth Test. Personally, he had an average series scoring just 277 runs 5 Test but he was lauded for his leadership.