5 reasons why Sourav Ganguly was a better captain than MS Dhoni

In cricket, it is difficult to compare captains. There is an axiom which says ‘A captain is as good as his team.’ While it generally holds true, there have been skippers who raised the performance of their teams while others, far from improving it, may have adversely affected it.

When it comes to Indian cricket, the debate on who is the greatest Indian captain of all time has been raging intensely for decades. While many old-timers accord that distinction to Nawab Pataudi Junior, others believe Kapil Dev is a better claimant to the title.

In modern times, Sourav Ganguly emerged as a transformational figure in Indian cricket and has legions of supporters but in the last few years, the majority opinion seems to have gone in favour of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

But a closer analysis of the records and achievements of these two former captains and their methods reveal that while Dhoni’s numbers as a captain may be better on many parameters when compared to Ganguly, when it comes to an overall estimation of their leadership, Ganguly wins hands down.

If you are not convinced, here are five reasons to prove the superiority of the ‘Prince of Kolkata’:

A better vision as a leader

Sourav Ganguly wanted India to win outside the Indian subcontinent

The vision that a captain has for his team matters as much as anything else. In this regard, Ganguly was far better than Dhoni as he realized that winning at home was not enough to be considered a great team.

This was crucial as he took over the reins of the side after the 1990s where India bullied visiting sides on square-turning wickets but were utterly hopeless abroad. Ganguly set out to change this notion and achieved great success, recording Test victories in various countries where India had been winless for ages.

A great example of Ganguly’s attitude was his refusal in 2003 to resort to the tactic of preparing dustbowls for a home series vs New Zealand even though the Kiwis had presented India with excessively green tracks when they hosted the Indian side. This showed that Ganguly was intent on not relying on conditions for success and he boldly declared that his team could beat New Zealand on good pitches.

Dhoni, on the other hand, presided over a team that was repeatedly humiliated abroad 2011 onwards. He even made a statement in England to the effect that since India play most of their cricket at home, victories away are good but not necessary. Following this, his insistence on having square-turning wickets at home for visiting teams and the reintroduction of the 90s formula took Indian cricket back to the bad old days. Clearly, Dhoni lacked the vision that Ganguly had.

Man-management

Harbhajan was one of many players who prospered under Ganguly

Most great captains have had one thing in common – their ability to manage and bring the best out of their players. In this respect, Ganguly excelled while Dhoni often left a lot to be desired.

Harbhajan Singh is a case in point. While Ganguly provided him with the necessary support that led to his great performances, Dhoni not only remained aloof, but once even starred in an advertisement that mocked him. Add to that, the inability of VVS Laxman to get in touch with him to inform him of his retirement and you get the impression of a captain who was somewhat insensitive about the attitude of his players.

Ganguly made sure that he dealt with different players according to their temperament and was able to bring the best out of them. The flourishing of young players like Yuvraj, Harbhajan and Sehwag while the prospering of seniors like Kumble and Laxman are prime examples of that.

Dhoni supported certain players but many others didn’t get the same treatment. Pragyan Ojha’s exclusion from the playing XI for the first couple of Tests vs Australia in 2013 after he had been the best bowler in the previous series is one of many instances. His description of Piyush Chawla as being 'not strong enough mentally' during a World Cup match in front of millions of people provides further evidence of this shortcoming in his captaincy.

Desire to win

Ganguly's display of emotions belied his hunger for victory

It is fashionable among cricket experts to applaud Dhoni’s calmness and his relaxed attitude even in the face of disappointment. But with great captains through the ages – be it Clive Lloyd, Imran Khan, Allan Border or others – what is noticeable is their hunger for victories.

So then, is it something to celebrate that Dhoni doesn’t seem bothered at all even when his team loses a key match? It's good to not let one defeat overpower your emotions but the great captains have been those who wanted their team to win at any cost and refused to accept defeat.

Dhoni’s tranquillity has helped him remain calm during tense moments and get his side home but as a captain, he has been too often found untroubled by defeats.

Ganguly’s over-the-top celebrations at Lord’s in 2002 and his kicking of a soft-drink can in disgust earlier that year when England managed to level a 6-match ODI series in India were signs that he didn’t like losing and this attitude percolated to the rest of the team.

In comparison, the abject surrender by Dhoni's teams in various Test matches along with the inability to grab victories when opportunities arose suggest a lack of killer instinct and an acceptance of the situation.

To remain unruffled in the face of adversity is a great quality for a normal human being but is not something that is present in the most successful captains in the history of cricket.

A better strategist and tactician

Dada showed great tactical acumen

Dhoni is known for making strange decisions and when those worked, he was regarded a genius. But what was overlooked was the much larger number of moves that backfired.

Placing a deep third man for Alastair Cook when Amit Mishra bowled to him from around the wicket at Edgbaston in 2011, the introduction of Rohit Sharma into the attack at key moments in the must-win match against South Africa in the 2012 World T20 and the disastrous rotation policy with the openers in the 2012 Tri-series in Australia are just three prime examples.

His supporters will cite instances when his surprise moves worked but when you look at the number of times it didn’t, it becomes clear that Dhoni was often just rolling the dice rather than having any proper plan in mind.

In contrast, Ganguly’s brave decisions (eg. promoting Sehwag to open in Tests, promoting Laxman to No. 3 in the famous Kolkata Test of 2001) were based on proper analysis that he has explained since becoming a commentator.

His sharp analysis of the game in that capacity reveals great tactical nous and a brilliant strategic mind. He made calculated decisions to suit the team’s interests while Dhoni just went along with his gut instincts.

Being close to the team

Ganguly always remained connected with his players

One thing that has repeatedly been observed has been Dhoni’s complete detachment from the team when omitted from the side. The afore-mentioned incident with VVS Laxman is only one example of this. Even Rahul Dravid, who never really criticizes his former teammates, had said in 2012, just before the start of India’s home series against England, that Dhoni needed to come out of his bubble.

Though Dravid, in all likelihood, didn’t mean to be critical, it still hints at Dhoni’s aloofness

Contrary to this, Ganguly was always available to his players and they could reach out to him easily. It doesn’t mean that he didn’t take time away from cricket, however, he remained connected with all his players which must have brought the team closer and made the players comfortable.

The fact that under Dhoni, when things didn’t go well, the team looked clueless may have been a result of the disconnect between the players and captain.

In this aspect, Ganguly scores more points than Dhoni.