BCCI President and Indian legend Sourav Ganguly has weighed in on the eternal debate regarding India’s greatest-ever cricket captain. Often pitted against MS Dhoni in discussions about who transformed Indian cricket more, “Dada” provided a perspective that prioritizes the evolution of the team over individual trophies.
When asked to pick India’s greatest-ever captain between himself and MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly gave the nod to Dhoni.
“Mahendra Singh Dhoni. MS Dhoni has won a World Cup, while I have been a runner-up,” Ganguly said at a TV9 summit.
“Dhoni has won the World Cup, and I would say he was an outstanding white-ball captain,” he added.
Rather than picking himself, Ganguly suggested that MS Dhoni holds the edge because of his “unparalleled trophy record,” but he reminded fans that the fearless culture Dhoni inherited was a product of the early 2000s. Ganguly noted that his era was about rebuilding Indian cricket from the ground up after the match-fixing scandal of 2000.
Dada also applauded Dhoni for emerging from Jharkhand – a region that had produced very few international cricketers.
“I feel proud that he came from a small place like Jharkhand. Before him, not many players from there represented the country. To come from there and become such a legend is something to be proud of,” Ganguly said.
Sourav Ganguly highlighted that Dhoni’s journey has inspired belief among youngsters in the region. He cited example of 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Bihar, which borders Jharkhand, to highlight the impact.
“When someone from a state makes it big at the highest level, it creates an impact, it builds confidence – ‘If Mahi can do it, I can do it.’ Take Vaibhav Suryavanshi, for example. Yes, he is from Bihar, but he must have grown up watching Dhoni,” Ganguly said.
“I feel proud because I am from Bengal and he is from Jharkhand. These regions haven’t produced as many cricketers as places like Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru. That is why I take great pride in MS Dhoni,” he added.
