Rohit Sharma, Sourav Ganguly picked over Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni as Manoj Tiwary delivers blunt verdicts

Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has once again stunned the cricket world with his bold opinions on some of India’s biggest cricketing icons, including Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, and Gautam Gambhir. He made the bold statements while comparing the leadership and impact of the modern-era captains, the batting legends, and the coaches in Indian cricket.

On being asked about India’s best captain, Tiwary acknowledged Virat Kohli’s immense contribution in transforming the Indian cricket team’s mindset, fitness standards, and aggressive playing style. He noted that Kohli had brought a fearless approach to Indian cricket and came close to clinching major ICC trophies but picked Rohit Sharma as the best captain over the latter.

Manoj Tiwary says Virat Kohli transformed India, but Rohit Sharma’s ICC wins make him No.1

The former Indian batter said that Rohit’s record of winning multiple ICC titles has forced him to kick out Kohli in the race. Notably, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, India won the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and Kohli played a major role in both title triumphs.

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Manoj Tiwary was quoted as saying by Inside Sport: “See, it's very unfortunate that in our country, we only go by the results. But it would be unfair to not say that Virat Kohli was equally good as a captain. He had transformed Team India, and he was very close to winning the ICC trophies. But since Rohit Sharma has led Team India to a couple of ICC trophies, I will obviously have to go with Rohit Sharma.”

The former Bengal cricketer also revealed the player he most admired playing alongside, and that he is none other than the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Tiwary mentioned that Tendulkar is unmatched and the timeless genius, and even modern superstar Kohli is not close to him.

Manoj Tiwary picks Sourav Ganguly over MS Dhoni as India’s greatest captain

Meanwhile, Tiwary picked Sourav Ganguly over MS Dhoni as the best India captain, taking a shocking U-turn from his perspective when he picked Rohit over Kohli.

The cricket expert picked Ganguly not just for his on-field captaincy but for his vision in spotting and backing young talent. He said that Dhoni won multiple trophies because of Ganguly.

Tiwary further explained, “Both of them are great leaders, obviously. But I would go with Sourav Ganguly. Just for the reason that the players who contributed more to MS Dhoni's ICC-winning trophies were the players who were given opportunities by Dada when they were young. And they have been backed like anything by Sourav Ganguly. So, in that respect, I would go with Sourav Ganguly.”

Read Also: Watch: Rohit Sharma trains with ex-India skipper at CoE in Bengaluru ahead of Australia ODI series

Manoj Tiwary picks Rahul Dravid over Gautam Gambhir as India’s best coach

On being asked to pick the best Indian coach between Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir, the former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator picked the former coach, who won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024. He was really impressed by Dravid’s calm demeanor, strategic mindset, and focus on nurturing young talent, which have made him a more effective and reliable coach.

However, there is a history between Gambhir and Tiwary, but it was the current Indian head coach’s failure as a coach against New Zealand that made the latter pick Dravid as the better coach. However, Gambhir won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as the India coach, but under his guidance, the team faced an embarrassing whitewash in the home Test series after three decades.

The shocking 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand raised questions about Gambhir’s tactical approach. Tiwary signed off by saying, “Rahul Dravid. Because Gautam Gambhir has lost a couple of series. One at home, which was not digestible because of the at-home condition; how can you lose a series against New Zealand?”