"That’s where Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni scored" - When an Indian legend compared the leadership skills of the World Cup-winning captains
Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni are undoubtedly two of the finest captains India have ever produced. Kapil inspired an underdog side to victory in the 1983 ODI World Cup in England, changing the face of Indian and world cricket forever. On the other hand, Dhoni guided the team to famous triumphs in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Considering the humongous nature of their achievements as leaders, Kapil and Dhoni are often compared when picking India's greatest captains. In 2020, another former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar shared his opinion on the two great skippers. Stating that both the former India captains had a common trait, Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today:
“If a captain is a little more irritable at a catch being dropped or a misfield, then the players get even more nervous. And that’s where Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni scored. They just controlled their emotions so well, that the players did not feel affected at all and played their own game freely.”
The former India opener also admitted that Kapil and Dhoni would run each other extremely close when picking a leader for an all-time Indian XI. He, however, admitted that Dhoni had a slight edge.
“But when it comes to winning World Cups, I think MS Dhoni has just a little edge over Kapil because he has not just won the 50-over World Cup but also the T20 World Cup. So I think he would be right up there,” Gavaskar added.
Apart from winning the ODI and the T20 World Cup, Dhoni also led Team India to victory in the Champions Trophy 2013. He remains the only captain in international cricket to have won all three white-ball ICC titles.
Kapil Dev vs MS Dhoni: Stats as captain
Kapil led India in 34 Tests out of which the team won four and lost seven. One match was tied, while 22 games ended in a draw. As for Dhoni, he led India in 60 Tests, winning 27 and losing 18, while 15 matches ended in a draw.
Kapil captained India in 74 ODIs, winning 39 of them and losing 33; two matches ended in no result. On the other hand, Dhoni was the Men in Blue captain in 200 ODIs, winning 110 and losing 74. Further, five matches ended in a tie, while 11 produced no result. While Kapil retired much before T20Is started, Dhoni led India in 72 matches in the format, winning 41 of those games.