World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni marginally outperformed the current BCCI boss and former India captain as the best captain in India, in a cricket poll.
MS Dhoni scored more points in all four categories of home captaincy, ODI captaincy, titles won, and performance as a batter while leading the team, while Ganguly scored better in four categories: captainship away from home, transformative effects of the captaincy on the team, the success of the team delivered to the next captain and overall impact.
The result was announced on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected show after Dhoni and Ganguly were judged through various captaincy parameters.
MS Dhoni was victorious after gaining a half-point more than Sourav Ganguly when the results of each category were added together. However, the point difference between the big two was reduced to decimals.
Transforming teams: Ganguly (8.6) defeats Dhoni (7.3)
ODI captain: Dhoni (8.1) defeats Ganguly (6.8)
Visitor wins: Ganguly (7.2) defeats Dhoni (5.5)
Abandoned teams: Ganguly (7.8) beats Dhoni (7.6)
Achievements as captain: Dhoni (8.5) defeats Ganguly (7.2)
Captain batting record: Dhoni (7.8) beats Ganguly (7.4)
Overall Impact: Ganguly (8.1) defeats Dhoni (7.9)
Former cricketers like Graeme Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Gautam Gambhir, Irfan Pathan, and Kris Srikkanth participated in the survey to decide the best captain in India.
Gautam Gambhir opined that MS Dhoni’s work was made easier as Sourav Ganguly left quality cricket players at his disposal like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan.
“When MS Dhoni finished [his captaincy stint], has not given enough quality players to Virat Kohli, other than Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, or Jasprit Bumrah now. There are not many world winners or probably people who win tournaments, “Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo.
He added, “But look what Sourav Ganguly gave to Indian cricket: Yuvraj Singh, the man from the series at two World Cups. [Yuvraj was only Man of the Series in the 2011 World Cup; Shahid Afridi was Man of the Series in the 2007 World T20]Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, these kinds of world-beaters. ”
India last won a title in the 2013 Champions Trophy and has since wavered in ICC competition. At the recently concluded 2019 World Cup, the Men in Blue were eliminated in the semifinals by New Zealand.
Also comparing his batting skills, Gambhir joked: “In white-ball cricket, MS Dhoni unquestionably. But in test cricket, Sourav Ganguly, because MS Dhoni, far from home or far from the subcontinent, doesn’t even have a hundred. And Sourav Ganguly has a hundred at Lord’s house, [and] in Australia.”
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