The Indian cricket team has seen many great captains over the years. The likes of Tiger Pataudi, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and now Virat Kohli, all of them have led India in their distinct style. It was under MS Dhoni that India started winning big tournaments.
Kohli took the mantle of the Indian team from Dhoni and has built his aura. Hence the biggest question which surrounds the fans is who amongst the two is the better captain. Is it Dhoni or is it Kohli?
We at StumpsandBails provide you the facts and figures which will give you an insight into their captaincy duties:
The master of Whites (Test Cricket):
MS Dhoni was appointed full-time Test captain in 2008 post-Anil Kumble’s retirement. The master tactician that he is, it didn’t take time for Dhoni to stamp his authority as a Test captain. Dhoni maintained a clean slate for a good period. His first loss as captain came against South Africa in Nagpur in 2010.
It was under Dhoni’s captaincy that the Indian team rose to become the number 1 Test side in the world. But Dhoni’s real challenge arrived when India toured overseas. India were whitewashed in England (4-0) and Australia (4-0) in 2011. This saw a spate of 8 successive overseas defeats.
To make matters worse, Alistair Cook’s England beat India in India (2-1) in 2012. It was Dhoni’s only series loss as an Indian captain. Dhoni-led India to a series win in West Indies, 2011 (1-0) and New Zealand (1-0) in 2009. Dhoni captained India in 60 Test matches, comprising 27 wins and 18 losses. 21 of those victories came at home, while 6 of them were achieved overseas.
Kohli’s Test captaincy credentials:
Virat Kohli took over the captaincy duties from MS Dhoni in 2014-15. India was ranked 7th in Tests at that time. Kohli transformed the Indian Test side into a world-beating one. He instilled confidence in fast bowlers and empowered them to become match-winners. It is under Kohli’s regime that India have a battery of fast bowlers ready.
India’s historic series (maiden) win in 2018 in Australia was largely owing to India’s pace bowling trio (Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah). Even though India failed to win the series in New Zealand (0-2), England (1-4), and South Africa (1-2) under Kohli’s captaincy, the team was never outplayed. They fought it amidst all odds and emerged better from the experience.
Virat Kohli had made it absolutely clear that he wants India to be an all-condition outfit. This isn’t to say that India under Kohli at home is any less. In fact, India have just lost 2 games at home under Kohli in 6 years of his captaincy. India are yet to lose a series under Kohli at home.
Virat Kohli has led India in 59 Tests, of which India have won 35 and lost just 14. Kohli’s winning percentage of 59.32 is easily among the world’s best captains of all time.
The ODI Battle:
MS Dhoni-led India to a maiden Tri-Series victory in Australia in 2008. He led India to a famous ODI World Cup win in 2011 and a Champions Trophy win in 2013. Dhoni-led India in 200 ODI’s of which India managed to win 110 and lost just 74. 5 of the matches were tied and 11 games didn’t produce any result. Dhoni’s winning percentage of 59.52 is right up there with the very best.
India lost in the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup in 2019 and the finals of the Champions Trophy in 2017 under Kohli’s captaincy. But it doesn’t cast a shadow on Kohli’s ODI captaincy record. He remains the only Indian skipper to have won bilateral ODI series in Australia (2-1) [2018-19], New Zealand (4-1) [2019], and South Africa (5-1) [2018].
Kohli has captained India in 92 ODI’s where India have emerged victorious on 63 occasions while losing just 26 games. 2 games didn’t produce any result while there was one tied encounter. His winning percentage of 70.55 is again way ahead of MS Dhoni.
The T20I Supremacy:
MS Dhoni holds the record for captaining the team in the most number of T20I’s. It was under his leadership that India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. It remains India’s only T20 World Cup win to date. As Dhoni-led India failed to win the next 5 World Cup’s. Dhoni captained the team on 72 occasions managing to win 42 matches while losing 28 games. 2 games didn’t produce a result. Dhoni’s winning percentage (59.28) in T20I’s too is eerily similar to ODI’s.
Kohli on the other hand has captained India in 40 T20I games. India won 26 of those games while lost 12 along the way. 2 games didn’t produce a result. The 2021 T20I World Cup in India will be Kohli’s first T20I World Cup as captain. He currently has a winning percentage of 65.78.
Verdict:
Dhoni surely led India to a memorable double World Cup win (2007 and 2011). But he managed to win only one T20 World Cup in 6 attempts while India lost in the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup in 2015.
India similarly lost in the World Cup semi-finals of 2019. But it was Kohli’s just the first World Cup as captain. Will Kohli be able to deliver the World Cup wins in his next few attempts or will the fans run out of patience as they often do when it comes to Kohli’s captaincy.
If the numbers are to believed then Virat Kohli is surely a better captain as compared to MS Dhoni currently. But do the numbers always tell the entire story?
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