5 vice captains who could have been very good captains
Jun 7, 2016 at 10:27 AM
Vice-captains are the ones who would often help captain in crucial junctures yet take no credit for their work. Also, vice-captain is more a nominal position in cricket where they would act as a captain when the skipper is unavailable. Here we look at the 5 vice-captains who could become very good captains if given a chance.
5. Ajay Jadeja
The 45-year old acted as vice-captain under Mohammad Azharuddin during his playing time and was a vital cog for the team. He was a very good batsman and a handy bowler and helped India to victory on many occasions. He was the finisher that India had before MS Dhoni. The player has played an active part in India’s progress and would have definitely made a very good captain had he got a chance.
4. Shane Watson
Shane Watson is arguably the complete all-rounder of this generation as he is devastating both with the bat and the ball. The 34-year old has had spells of captaincy and has been very successful in the limited chances he got with Rajasthan Royals as well as the Australian team. Unfortunately, he did not become a full-time captain for Australian Cricket team in any format despite being vice-captain for a couple of years.
3. Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir is one of the best players who have missed out on becoming the captain of India after getting dropped from the team at a crucial juncture in his career. He has acted as captain for both Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders and has achieved tremendous success with both the teams. He led KKR to two IPL titles in last 5 years and has also helped DD to reach the top of the table during his maiden IPL as captain. He also boasts a good record Indianian captain where he won 5 out of 5 matches against New Zealand during 2010-11.
2. Shane Warne
Shane Warne, the greatest leg-spinner of all time has been a great leader by example. He has been the vice-captain of Australian team during his playing days under Steve Waugh during 1999 to 2000. He has been a major contributor until he retired for Cricket Australia and have shown his skills as captain for Rajasthan Royals in maiden IPL where he led them to victory. He has also managed a decent outing against Sachin’s team in All Stars where he won the series 3-0.
1. Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist, the greatest wicket-keeper the game has ever seen, was overshadowed by the brilliance of Ricky Ponting as a captain. The 44-year old has always been a great asset to Australian cricket and have had long spells as vice-captain under Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Gilly has always delivered as a captain, most notably winning test series against India in India and also been a very good captain in IPL post his retirement.