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Former India National Cricket Team opener Aakash Chopra ranked India's all-time top five captains. The discussion was mainly about the legendary captain Sourav Ganguly for a Cricinfo video. As the discussion progressed, it shifted towards the rankings of India's all-time best captains.
The video was divided into four categories: Top 15, Top 10, Top 5, and Top 3. According to Aakash Chopra, Sourav Ganguly will easily make it into the top 15, top 10, and top 5 categories. The video turned more interesting when Chopra was asked to name the best five captains for the Indian cricket team all time.
Aakash Chopra named MS Dhoni as India's all-time best captain
Choosing the all-time best five captains was not easy for Aakash Chopra, as there were multiple leaders who had played major roles as an individual and as a captain in shaping the nation's cricket at crucial junctures. Along with Sourav Ganguly, there were multiple other captains from different eras who stepped in to take the team forward in international cricket.
Aakash Chopra named MS Dhoni as the No.1 ever to captain the Indian cricket team. The former cricketer-turned commentator and cricket expert put Ganguly at Number three, as he placed the former India skipper, the legendary Kapil Dev, at No.2. Chopra not only ranked the names, but also provided the explanations behind the rankings.
Aakash Chopra explained his rankings
Chopra stated that as Dhoni took the nation to World Cup glory twice, he picked him for the topmost place in the rankings, over Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev was the first to lead Team India to World Cup glory. Placing Dhoni over Kapil Dev was a debatable call, but Chopra prioritized the number of titles irrespective of the captains as well.
In contrast, the cricket expert named Rohit Sharma, who won both the Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup title for India, after Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly might not have won the World Cup, but his commitment in shaping the team from scratch remains an unforgettable chapter in Indian cricket.
Virat Kohli not in Top 3
For the fifth and last spot in the rankings, Chopra chose Virat Kohli. With Virat as the captain, India rose as the best Test-playing team.
"Mahendra Singh Dhoni is my number 1. We have won the World Cup only twice. The second one, of course, is Kapil paji. He was actually the first one to win it. But then number 2 is Kapil Dev as India's ODI captain. At 3, it's a tight call between Sourav Ganguly and Rohit Sharma," said Chopra.
"But Rohit has won the Champions Trophy and taken the team to the finals as well. Maybe some recency bias, so I'll have him at 3. At 4, I'll have Sourav Ganguly. At 5, I'll actually have Virat Kohli at 5. At 9, I'll have Virat Kohli. At 11, I'll have Virat Kohli. At 12, I'll have Sourav Ganguly. At 19, I'll have Virat Kohli."
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