MS Dhoni was chosen as his no.1 best Indian captain by former keeper Saba Karim who shared his list of top five Indian team captains. However, Virat Kohli, who kept India at the top of the ICC Test rankings for five years, and Rohit Sharma, who recently won the T20 World Cup 2024, were snubbed from the top spot.
MS Dhoni captained India’s cricket team to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. He later led the squad to victories in the ODI World Cup 2011 and the Champions Trophy 2013. He confirmed his retirement from international cricket in August 2020.
A statemate of MS Dhoni from Bihar, Saba Karim made his India debut in 1997 and played his only Test in 2000 under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. He played a total of 33 ODIs and one Test, scoring one ODI fifty that came in his debut match against South Africa.
However, his international career was cut short when he sustained a devastating right-eye injury while keeping Anil Kumble at the 2000 Asia Cup in Dhaka. Karim had to declare his retirement at the age of 33. The former hitter has worked as a national selector for the Indian cricket team.
MS Dhoni ranked no.1 best Indian captain by Saba Karim
Saba Karim picked Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Sourav Ganguly as his top five best Indian captains ever.
Despite keeping India as the top-ranked Test side for five years in a row, Virat Kohli failed to win an ICC trophy during his leadership tenure. The Delhi cricketer was the first Indian captain to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series in Australia.
Kapil Dev helped India win its first World Cup in 1983. Kapil captained the Indian national cricket team in 34 Tests and 74 One-Day Internationals during his career. Sourav Ganguly is credited with developing the present Indian team. Ganguly led the Indian team to the 2003 World Cup final, where they lost.
And Rohit Sharma, the current captain in ODIs and Tests, recently retired from T20Is, after leading India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title.
In an interview with NDTV, Saba Karim named his top five Indian cricket captains. Karim ranked MS Dhoni first, followed by star batsman Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma, who currently leads India, was ranked third, with Kapil Dev in fourth and Sourav Ganguly in fifth.
1. MS Dhoni
2. Virat Kohli
3. Rohit Sharma
4. Kapil Dev
5. Sourav Ganguly
Saba Karim rates Top 5 Best Indian Captains in the History: (NDTV)
1. MS Dhoni.
2. Virat Kohli.
3. Rohit Sharma.
4. Kapil Dev.
5. Sourav Ganguly. pic.twitter.com/oO4FarySXA— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) September 10, 2024
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