Indian Cricket: Who's the greatest Indian captain ever?

IPL is back and so is the fun. There are 9 teams this time around but only 4 Indian captains. But one of the most important Indian captains, in the form of Sourav Ganguly, is missing this time around. Some say he was the greatest ever Indian captain while some say MSD is. So actually, who is?

There have been ‘n’ number of captains India has produced. From the likes of Pataudis to Gavaskars to Kapils to Azhars to the recent ones like Tendulkar, Jadeja ,Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and Dhoni. But the debate for India’s best always stops at the ‘Bengal Tiger’ and ‘Mr. Cool’.

Some say that the captain who built team India is the best while others say that the one who took the team to another level is the greatest ever. Statistics is one way to prove who the best is. Until recently, Ganguly had the highest number of Test wins for an Indian captain before Dhoni overtook him. Statistically speaking, Dhoni undoubtedly is the best Indian captain ever produced, with India winning T-20 world cup under him, an ODI world cup and became world No 1 in Tests, remaining there for over an year. But should we measure both the captains by the same yardstick? Is it fair to do so? Well, the answer to this is yes and no.

Yes, because, for an amateur cricket fan, he or she needs some yardstick by which they can decide the greatest ever Indian captain. But for a person who eats, sleeps and dreams cricket, I don’t think it’s the right way to go about it. Remember when Ganguly took over as Indian captain, the team was in a disarray. After Azhar left the team, under Tendulkar, almost everyone was getting an opportunity to play for India. Like other Indian captains of the past, even Tendulkar was not getting the team he desired for, about which he has been quite open. But Ganguly changed it all; he got the players he had faith in. He decided to run the team in his own way. The selectors had to give in to the prince. Ganguly changed how the Indian team used to function. The youngsters were given opportunities. They were shown faith. A couple of failures did not mark the end of one’s career. Youngsters were also given responsibilities. A multi- discipline theory (specific players were chosen in specific departments as captains) came in, about which a very few knew. Kaif and Yuvraj were given fielding captaincy; Kumble, Srinath and Bhajji were given bowling while our very own Sachin was given batting captaincy.

Thus, from juniors to seniors, everyone felt a part of the team, everyone felt the desire to contribute. He made sure that fielding was given as much importance as batting and bowling. He got Kaif and Yuvraj in the side and suddenly the fielding standard of the team rose. Players with multiple skills became an integral part of the team. Be it Dinesh Mongia or Ajit Agarkar or Sanjay Bangar – all came in the team. It’s a different story whether they clicked or not. However, when this strategy did not work efficiently, he was not hesitant to go to a 7-4 policy (playing 7 specialist batsmen and 4 specialist bowlers) under which India thrived. The biggest and most memorable example of this is the Natwest final which we all remember and for me, that series victory just changed how Indian team was regarded. Ravi Shastri, at that point of time, compared that win with the ’83 world cup win. So, one can imagine how magnificent it was.

But the most important contribution about Dada for me was that he gave India that “never give up” spirit. He made us believe that we can win. He made us believe that winning abroad is also possible. He made us believe that India can win ODIs even without the contribution of Sachin and Sourav. The “fighting spirit” which we all talk about came under Dada only. Who can forget the Kolkata Test match where India became only the 3^rd team to win a Test match after following on. Or who can forget Dada taking off his shirt and waving it in the balcony of Lords like a young soccer fan and giving Flintoff the taste of his own medicine. Who can forget Dada making Steve Waugh wait for the toss, that too when the Indian team was considered as cats instead of tigers. During his early days of captaincy, he used to stand at short leg and silly point, and kept chattering to get under the skin of the batsman. Not only that, he also used to encourage youngsters to do the same.

Now coming to the tactician MS Dhoni, our very own Mahi. Whether you love him or hate him, you cannot ignore him. We can call him “lucky” but the fact of the matter is that he has that “midas touch”, be it T20 world cup, ODI world cup, securing No. 1 spot in Tests. Apart from that, how can we forget Chennai’s success in the IPL and Champions League? He has got it all. All these instances tell us that the man has a different class. Well, one can be lucky once or twice, but being lucky at so many instances? It’s practically insulting the man. And when the greatest cricketer of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, says that MS Dhoni is the best captain he has played under, well, we got to respect that and take that into account. Statistically, he is the best Indian captain; there is no doubt about it. Recently, in a TV show, even the likes of Kapil Dev and Mohd Azharuddin have also accepted that he is the best Indian captain ever.

However, there are a few things which go against the Midas man and that’s his ability to win Test matches on foreign soil. Under his captaincy, India has won 5 out of 19 matches on foreign soil, a winning percentage of 26.31, compared to Ganguly who had won 11 out of 28, a percentage of 39.28. Some also blame Dhoni of not treating the seniors with respect, be it Laxman admitting that Dhoni did not pick up his call or the rifts with Sehwag and Gambhir. But the same type of questions was raised against Ganguly as well.

Well, apart from these little things, I do not feel that Dhoni deserves so much of criticism. I mean, the man just won the biggest ever Test series victory India has ever achieved by defeating the so called ‘mighty’ Australians 4-0.

The truth is that the aggression which was lacking in Indian team was provided by Ganguly, which got the Indian team going. He completely changed the complexion of Indian cricket. Indian cricketers were no longer considered as players who will succumb to pressure. He had his say in the team and he led by example and provided results. But then, after him, the team was in turmoil with Dravid and Kumble made captains. With Kumble retiring, it was calmness which was needed in the team at that time, and Dhoni, who is as cool as a cucumber, provided that. He got a sense of calmness to the team. His tactical decisions (some call them lucky) started reaping positive results and he became one of the most respected captains in world cricket.

Lastly, I would just like to quote Kapil Dev – “the captain’s job is not only to make his team win but also to develop the team for the future”. Like Ganguly did – he got players like Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Sehwag into the team. I just hope that players like Kohli, Jadeja, Ashwin contribute for the team in the future run because that will leave an everlasting impact on Indian cricket, and that will only take Indian cricket forward and that’s what all Indian cricket crazy fans want. And as far as winning abroad goes, that will happen in future for sure. The team is preparing, they are working hard; it’s just a matter of time now. So let’s just wait and watch before jumping to conclusions. While we all want India’s cricket future to be bright and win all the matches we play, lets be practical that no team, under no captain, can win all of their matches. The captains try hard and they do not deserve so much of criticism.

So, who is better? Ganguly or Dhoni? I leave it on you folks to decide. All I know is that I am an Indian cricket crazy fan and I will keep supporting my team, under any captain, whether they win or not, because I know that no one goes out there to lose and India’s cricket is moving forward faster than ever.

Quoting Bob Marley “The greatness of a man is in his integrity and ability to affect those around him positively”. And that’s what a captain should do.