IPL 2016: Sourav Ganguly picks the most impressive captain in the tournament
When it comes to captaincy, there are very few people who can judge better than Sourav Ganguly. The ‘Prince of Calcutta’s is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever leaders in Indian cricket.
Looking at all the skippers in the ongoing IPL season, the 43-year old has selected the best of the lot. India Today reported the articulate cricketer sharing his thoughts on the leadership quality in the cash-rich league.
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Ganguly picked Rohit Sharma as the captain who had captured his attention. The left-hander elaborated, “Rohit Sharma has impressed me the most. He has taken the team on his shoulders single-handedly.”
While admitting that Suresh Raina was also doing a fine job, the iconic leader felt that Rohit was leading from the front. The Mumbai Indians skipper has scored 383 runs from 9 matches at an average of 63.83 including five fifties.
Reflecting on the 29-year old’s remarkable form, Sourav noted, "Suresh Raina also has been impressive but Rohit who is winning the matches with his bat. He has taken more responsibility and thus Mumbai are one of the favorites.
He also had special words of praise for Delhi Daredevils’ resurgence and credited two of his former national team-mates as the reason behind it. Ganguly lauded the team's courage to fight their way back from a horror start to the tournament.
The West Bengal cricketer claimed, “You have got to give credit to Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid. It takes great courage for a young side to turn it around after being bowled out for 99 in their first game. You have got to give credit to the men who are dealing with the young team.”
Meanwhile, he offered some advice for Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni on the woeful performances of their respective teams. On the bowling issues of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Ganguly enthused, “Kohli is a class act. With his ability, he plays up the order. He has done exceptionally well. The bowling has let him down.”
“Last game against Knight Riders they were cruising and to see him losing them from there is unreal. He has to find a way to make a comeback. It's not going to be easy for him. He has lost a lot of games. Both Pune and Bangalore have to win all their remaining games.”
Even though he acknowledged that injuries to key players have derailed Pune’s plans, Sourav wanted Dhoni to take responsibility by promoting himself up the order. The southpaw opined, “Dhoni under-utilizes his ability in the longer formats of the game. He could actually open in T20 cricket. Once he gets set, he could murder bowling attacks. He has not been giving himself enough time to get set.”