With 2-0 whitewash over New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series at home, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now just two victories shy of equaling Sourav Ganguly’s record of 21 test victories.
It is very much on the cards for Dhoni and it will be not very long before he supersedes Ganguly. Now the talks have already started surfacing that Dhoni is India’s best ever captain and there is nothing wrong in saying that because his record speaks for him.
But then just by considering stats and calling Dhoni as the best skipper of India will be a little too harsh on Ganguly. No doubt Dhoni is a very good captain and has led India to success many a times including the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 Cricket World Cup, but the élan and attitude that Ganguly led the team with is somewhat missing in Dhoni’s captaincy.
Ganguly actually is the architect of the team that Dhoni is leading and most of these players started and got fame under his regime. Indian team when was led by Mohd. Azharrudin never had the aggression or the hunger to win Test matches and it was the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ who instilled that feeling in the team.
Here are few points which make Ganguly a better captain than Dhoni:
Leadership Quality: Ganguly was known for his charisma and he led the team from the front. He held the team together and the team never faced any controversies as such. Ganguly knew the exact worth of his players and avoided everything that could create a possible rift in the side.
Overseas records: His ability at leading the team in hostile overseas conditions is something which earns him the distinction of being called as the best captain of the country. He has won 11 test matches as compared to Dhoni’s 5. So when Dhoni does break that record, might be than we can call him the best one ever. But at least for now it is Ganguly.
Instilling fighting attitude in the team: He is someone who changed the face of Indian cricket. Prior to his captaincy, India lacked that fighting attitude and they hardly played Test matches to win. But Ganguly changed it and he played to win. This is one of the reasons because of which India could go on to beat teams like Australia, England, South Africa.
Giving chance to youngsters: If Dhoni is the propagator of the idea than Ganguly was the one who started it. It was during his reign that players like Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohd. Kaif and even Mahendra Singh came into the team.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhary
Indian Sports News
