5 captains who brought about a dramatic change in fortune for their teams

Great leaders make great teamMany pundits have argued that cricket is the sport where captains enjoy the most amount of on-field influence. The history of cricket truly reveals that the most successful teams have most often than not been led by the most remarkable captains.There have been captains who have resurrected their teams from a slump in form or directionless meandering and guided them to the endless glory.Let us look at five captains who brought about a dramatic change in fortune for their teams. Only international captains have been considered and we have chosen to focus exclusively on the last 15 years for this list.

#5 Brendon McCullum

During his early days, Brendon McCullum was considered a bit of a maverick - a dangerous lower order wicket-keeper batsman who could score freely whenever required. But he went on to become a successful opener in the limited overs format and an aggressive captain who changed the Kiwis' fortunes.

No one gave the Kiwis the ghost of a chance going into the 2015 World Cup but they surprised everyone by the dauntless, aggressive brand of cricket they played. It was clear to see the indomitable and fearless approach that McCullum had instilled in the team. McCullum became the first New Zealand skipper ever to lead his team to the final of the World Cup.

Considered to be free-flowing and easy-going, it is remarkable to think that McCullum has helped the Kiwis dream big and turn around their fortunes dramatically. And the best part of it is that he always wears his heart on his sleeves, playing the game in the best possible spirit.

#4 Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan took on the Test captaincy under dramatic substances after Nasser Hussain resigned in the middle of the series against South Africa in 2003. Vaughan went on to become one of the most respected England captains as the team won a number of laurels under him.

An extremely shrewd captain, Vaughan was immensely loved by all because of his man-management skills and decision-making abilities. He created a national record by winning 26 Tests out of the 51 he captained in till 2008. It was under him that the English team reclaimed the Ashes in 2005 after a period of eighteen years.

Winning the 2005 Ashes ensured Vaughan's place as one of the greatest captains in the English cricketing history. Vaughan might have been lucky that he had one of the best seam attacks of the generation in Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff, but that does not undermine the fact that he has won the most number of Tests as the English captain only after the great Mike Brearley.

#3 Sourav Ganguly

At the turn of the century, the Indian team seemed to rather directionless as they lacked a man to lead them by example. Mohammad Azharuddin had been embroiled in the match-fixing controversies and Sachin Tendulkar decided to quit captaincy because of a series of bad performances. And then, in stepped Sourav Ganguly.

With his aggressive brand of captaincy, Ganguly helped the Indian team turn over a new leaf. Many of the youngsters he backed like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan gave the team a new identity.

The Bengal southpaw turned out to be one of the most successful Indian captains as he took the team to the final of the 2003 world cup. It was only under him that the Indian team enjoyed the new confidence instilled in them and started doing well in overseas conditions. Dada knew how to nurture talent and in a way built his own team out of talented youngsters.

#2 Graeme Smith

The decision to appoint Graeme Smith as the South African captain after Shaun Pollock had resigned in 2003 was met with widespread scepticism. Smith was then only 22 years and 82 days old, making him the youngest ever South African captain. Critics believed he had by then displayed too few leadership credentials.

Smith seemed to have an instantaneous impact as he scored heavily soon after. In the Test series against England in 2003, he made double centuries in consecutive Test matches at Edgbaston and Lord's. This made the world sit up and take notice - the Edgbaston Test also famously prompted Naseer Hussain to go into retirement.

Over the years, Smith turned out to be one of the best captains in the modern era as the South African team enjoyed exemplary success under him. Out of the 150 matches he captained in, the South African team won 92 matches making him one of the most successful South African captains ever.

#1 MS Dhoni

After a lacklustre performance in the 2007 world cup, the chips were down for the Indian team as they seemed to lack a true leader. The appointment of MS Dhoni as captain during the inaugural edition of the ICC World Twenty20 turned heads and left everyone surprised.

But when no one was giving the Indian team much of a chance, a young Indian team led by Dhoni went on to be champions in the tournament. And the rest, as they say, was history. The Indian team's fortunes changed dramatically under Dhoni as he led the team to the number one spot in Tests and became only the second Indian captain after Kapil Dev to lift the world cup trophy.

Dhoni is now widely considered to be one of the best Indian captains ever. Who would have thought back in 2004 that the lovely long-haired boy from Ranchi who loved his milk and motorbikes would one day go on to be one of the most successful Indian captains?