Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni are two of the best captains to have led India. The duo took charge at the worst of times and finished their captaincy tenure by doing all the exceptional work for the country. Speaking of the same, Ashish Nehra, who played under both of them revealed the captaincy styles of the duo.
Before Dhoni’s promotion as the Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly was by far the most successful Indian captain overall. But by the time Dhoni finished, he had not only broken Ganguly’s Test win record as a captain but also had two World Cups and an ICC Champions Trophy to his credit – a feat still unmatched.
Sourav Ganguly has youngsters in his team –
Dhoni first led an inexperienced Indian side to the T20 World Cup triumph in 2007. He then took over the ODI captaincy and did wonders there as well. On the other hand, Sourav Ganguly lifted the Indian team from the danger of losing its recognition due to match-fixing allegations.
“Both (MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly) were totally different. But they both knew how to get the best out of their players. When Ganguly took over the team was new while Dhoni had the challenge of managing senior players in the side,” Nehra was quoted as saying in Times Now.
“Ganguly had youngsters who he needed to take forward and improve. He supported all the young players and backed the players he felt were good. When we beat Australia in 2001 things changed and this was Ganguly’s quality that he went against all odds to back his players,” he added.
MS Dhoni has handled seniors very well: Ashish Nehra
Throwing light on Dhoni’s qualities, Nehra stated that he should be lauded for the way he dealt with the senior members of the side. He feels MS Dhoni has handled brilliantly by carrying himself and maintaining good culture in the dressing team.
“Dhoni is not an impulsive guy and a very calculative captain. He also tried to give more chances to players and he partnered well with head coach Gary Kirsten. MS needs to be appreciated for the way he handled the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman who were there when he took over as captain. He carried himself and the team amazingly well,” Nehra added.
