TALE OF TWO CAPTAINS

The win against Ireland has ensured that India will top Pool B. But that’s not the only achievement this result brings. The win has again brought the age old debate to the fore. Who is the best Indian Captain ever? After being humiliated by Australia in its second match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, India registered 8 consecutive wins to reach the final, where it was beaten comprehensively by Australia again. ICC World Cup 2003 to date remains India’s most romantic cricketing story. M.S. Dhoni now holds the record for the most number of consecutive wins in World Cups for India after India made a meal of the Irish team in the last match. So is it the man who made us believe or is the man who fulfilled our greatest dream?

Comparisons are inevitable in Indian cricket. But the circumstances in which these two cricketers took over captaincy do not give us a fair ground to compare. These very circumstances decided and defined the actions of the two. For Saurav Ganguly, the main task was to instill faith and confidence in the team. He needed to be aggressive, expressive. He had to bring a sense of belonging. He had to carry the excess baggage of poor performances of previous teams and the suspicious eyes of Indian cricket fans. It always played its cricket in a ‘good boy’ manner. Even India’s premier fast bowler Srinath would apologise to a Ponting when his fast bouncer hit his head. No previous Indian captain had dared to speak a few words here and there. So by making Steve Waugh wait for the toss seemed arrogant at that time but gave the team some confidence in a strange way. It was all about making a statement. That punch in the air through a mistimed jump at Brisbane made a statement or the famous shirt wave from Lord’s balcony made a statement. We will not back down. This uncanny confidence rubbed on to the team and this confidence helped India achieve those fantastic results in England, Australia, Pakistan and of course in World Cup 2003.

Dhoni’s choice as captain was a measured risk. Indian cricket had just recovered from a shocker stint of Greg Chappell as coach. What the Indian team required was a bit of calm. That was Dhoni’s biggest strength. Dhoni had to captain a side which had six senior cricketers; some of whom were legends of the game.  Dhoni had the task to captain a team which had three former captains. That is never easy. Dhoni needed to be patient, calm but assertive. These exact qualities made him the captain he is. He had the base of a good team ready. He had the formidable middle order, a bunch of quick bowlers, a great spinner and great young talent. His job was to channelize his resources. It is one thing to have the resources and altogether a different thing to use them effectively. Many times, his captaincy looked rigid, stagnant but almost every time, it yielded results. His ability to extract the best out of a player with minimal words is a great quality to have.

Statistics are often used as a base to compare. Dhoni has the most no. of wins in test matches as Indian captain. He is the only captain in the world who has ICC treble. He led India to the no. one rank in test cricket & to being the best one day team in the world. He is the most successful Indian captain. Statistically, Ganguly does not even come close to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. But Ganguly’s legacy is not in statistics but in the attitude and unorthodox, sometimes controversial decisions he made; be it pushing Rahul Dravid to no. 6 position or asking him to keep wickets, risking a quality player like Sehwag to open the innings, giving unconditional support to youngsters like Yuvraaj, Harbhajan, Kaif & Zaheer Khan.

So how does one compare their performance as captain, if it is that much necessary? The answer has perhaps emerged during the last three-four years. Without the batting legends and a smart bowling leader, India’s test performance reached a new low every time it set foot on a foreign shore. The 4-0 test series losses in England, Australia reminded everybody of India of the 90s. The recent drubbing in England and Australia underlined one huge difference between the captaincy of Saurav Ganguly and M.S.Dhoni.  Where Saurav Ganguly excelled at Test captaincy due to his positive and aggressive attitude, M.S.Dhoni often lacked intent in crucial moments in many away test matches. His ultra defensive techniques allowed matches to drift away. On many occasions, he was found waiting for things to happen instead of making them happen. But the moment he puts on colored clothing, he is transformed into a proactive and attacking captain. It seems he prefers the energy of the shorter format. Also the fact that he is a far better and more successful ODI batsman than a test batsman must help. Overall, there is no doubt in my mind that he is India’s greatest ODI captain of all time. But the test crown belongs to India’s first leader. So have I answered the million dollar question? Perhaps not. May be there is no answer to this question. What I do know for sure is that I am blessed to have watched Indian cricket under both these fantastic leaders.