Red Ball Best Captain Is Virat Kohli And White Ball Is MS Dhoni: Former India Spinner Picks His Favourite

MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 12, 2024 - Former India cricket team spinner and cricket commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has revealed his picks for the best test captain and ODI-T20I captains of all-time in Indian cricket.

In an exclusive interview with a leading sports news portal over the Sony Sport's Tamil Cricket Podcast - Cricket Petta, Sivaramakrishnan named Virat Kohli as the best test captain and MS Dhoni as the best ODI-T20I captain.

Kohli had led India in 68 Tests and guided them to 40 wins with 11 draws and 17 losses, while maintaining a impressive record of 58.82 win percentage under his tenure.

Similarly, Kohli's attacking mindset was praised for being similar to the great Vivian Richards. Sivaramakrishnan heaped praise on Dhoni’s calm demeanor as well.

The legendary spinner also mentioned that Sunil Gavaskar was the best captain of his playing days while calling 1983 World Cup-winner Kapil Dev an instinctive leader, adding  "Kapil gave an extra over to Madan Lal in 1983. That's instinctive captaincy."

Sivaramakrishnan praised Venkataraghavan as well, saying that he was excellent and wonderful as a captain.

Interestingly, the comments from Sivaramakrishnan come amidst speculation around captaincy selection for Team India under new rules of hybrid model. He also stated in his interview, "Champions Trophy 2025 In South Africa If Pakistan Refuses Hybrid Model".

However, it remains to be seen whether Kohli's and Dhoni's record-breaking performances will be enough to secure their spots as the best captains in Test & white ball formats for all-time.

The former India spinner also expressed his thoughts on Gavaskar & Dev captaincy adding the "Sunil was very good with strategy and analytical in approach while Kapil was an instinctive captain."

It will be interesting to see how Team India’s new selection policy impact these legendary captains, including Kohli and Dhoni's chances of returning.

The Indian cricket fraternity eagerly waits for these two cricket legends decisions going forward.