Mumbai, First Published Jan 29, 2022, 7:43 PM IST
Mumbai: Former India captain Sanjay Manjrekar has been named India’s all-time great captain after Virat Kohli relinquished his Test captaincy following T20 and ODI cricket. Though Virat Kohli is India’s most successful captain in Test cricket, it is noteworthy that Kohli is not on Maunjarekar’s list.
At the top of Manjrekar’s list is Kohli’s predecessor MS Dhoni. In an interview with News18, Manjrekar also explained the reason for choosing Dhoni as his first name. Maunjarekar said that Dhoni’s achievement in ICC tournaments has made him the best Indian captain of all time. Dhoni is the only captain to have won three major ICC titles. Under Dhoni, India won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Playing in a two-nation series is like going to the office as usual. But ICC tournaments are not like that. You can only succeed there and return if you survive the pressure. “That is why Dhoni is being selected as the best captain,” Manjrekar said.
Under Virat Kohli, India lost in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-finals and the 2021 T20 World Cup group stage. According to Manjrekar, Kapil Dev, who won the 1983 ODI World Cup for India, is second only to Dhoni. After Dhoni and Kapil, Sourav Ganguly and Sunil Gavaskar are the top captains in Maunjarekar’s list.
Manjrekar said that it was Kapil Dev who brought Indian cricket to the forefront and that it was Sourav Ganguly who regained the confidence of the fans through his victories abroad.
At the same time, Manjrekar is not ready to dismiss Kohli’s captaincy excellence altogether. Manjrekar said that it was Kohli who instilled in the players the spirit of fighting till the end and that he was able to energize the team as a whole. But when it comes to winning titles at ICC tournaments, Kohli is lagging behind.
Last Updated Jan 29, 2022, 7:48 PM IST