Comparing Eoin Morgan and MS Dhoni's captaincy records in white-ball cricket
Eoin Morgan revolutionalized England as a white-ball outfit and transformed ordinary ODI and T20I teams into world beaters.
Morgan took over the reigns of the English T20I team in 2012 and was appointed as ODI skipper months ahead of the 2015 World Cup. Though England had a disappointing outing at the 2015 World Cup, he sowed the seeds for the future generation of English limited-overs players.
Morgan led England to their maiden World Cup triumph in 2019, and guided the side to a runners-up finish at the T20 World Cup 2016. He is considered one of the greatest modern-day leaders in white-ball cricket.
On the occasion of Eoin Morgan's 37th birthday, here is a detailed comparison of his captaincy record in white-ball cricket with the Indian legend MS Dhoni.
Eoin Morgan's record in ODIs and T20Is as captain
Eoin Morgan has an incredible record as England's skipper in both ODIs and T20Is. He captained the English T20I team for almost ten years from 2012 to 2022, winning 42 out of the 72 matches in that period. Out of the remaining 30 matches, England lost 27, two were tied and one ended in a no-result. Under his captaincy, England ended as runners-up at the 2016 T20 World Cup.
In 126 matches as skipper of the ODI team, he won 76 games, enjoying a win percentage of over 60. His biggest achievement as the English ODI skipper is leading the side to their maiden ODI World Cup title in 2019.
Morgan's captaincy brought out the best of the English players in limited-overs cricket and they were given the liberty to express themselves. The likes of Jason Roy, Joe Root, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer, to name a few, made a name for themselves under Morgan's captaincy.
Morgan could have added another feather in his cap by leading England in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. However, a bad run of form with the bat led to his pre-mature retirement from international cricket. England, went on to win the tournament.
MS Dhoni's record as skipper in limited overs cricket
MS Dhoni's maiden assignment in T20Is was the T20 World Cup in 2007, and he led the side to glory. Under his captaincy, team India triumphed in 41 out of the 72 matches from 2007 to 2016. He led India in six T20I World Cups winning one and ending second best to Sri Lanka in 2014.
India's ODI landscape was completely transformed under Dhoni's captaincy. He successfully led India to glory in the World Cup 2011. The team continued their winning ways and won the Champions Trophy in England in 2013. Team India played incredibly well at the 2015 World Cup, and were unbeaten in the tournament before losing to hosts Australia in the semifinals.
Dhoni led India in 200 ODIs, winning 110 of those matches. He is only the third skipper, after Alan Border and Ricky Ponting, to have won more than 100 ODIs.
Many youngsters like Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and others, were groomed under the watchful eyes of Dhoni and have high regards for the former Indian skipper.
Comparsion between Eoin Morgan and MS Dhoni
Eoin Morgan has a better win percentage in ODIs and T20Is than MS Dhoni. Dhoni has a win percentage of 55 as skipper in ODIs and 56.94 in T20Is. Morgan, on the other hand, has a win percentage of 60.31 in ODIs and 58.33 in T20Is. However, Dhoni has captained India in 200 ODIs as compared to Morgan's 126.
In T20Is, both have led their teams in 72 matches with Dhoni winning 41 and Morgan winning 42, so there is not much to choose between the two captains.
Dhoni, however, slightly edges Morgan as far as captaincy records are concerned as he has three ICC trophies compared to Morgan's one.
Both Dhoni and Morgan are modern-day greats and among the sharpest captains to have played the gentleman's game.