5 reasons why Sourav Ganguly's team did much better than Virat Kohli's team overseas

The tactical acumen: Ganguly > Kohli

Ganguly's wins abroad came because he was shrewd: both in selection and decision-making

There are natural-born leaders and then there are leaders who grow with time. By his own admission, Ganguly belonged to the latter category. A tenure that began on instinctive decisions steadily grew and eventually blossomed into something extremely worthwhile.

The best example to explain a combination of both would be the Headingley Test match of 2002 when in overcast conditions Ganguly opted to bat and picked two spinners, the thinking being if India put in a big score and bat once, then both Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh could come into the game in the later half and help India win. As we know now, the plan worked like a gem.

Kohli, in that regard, seems to be a leader with qualities, but not quite at the level of his predecessor. An example of that was on view during the Lord's Test last week, when he had the option, thanks to the additional day of rain on the first day, to change the side before the toss based on prevailing conditions on the second day.

Instead, he opted for the second spinner than a fast bowler who would have been more effective and paid the price for it. Hopefully, he learns fast and helps India recover in the subsequent matches.