Rohit Sharma or MS Dhoni - who is India's greatest white ball captain?

Team India have been blessed with some generational leaders consistently, with each leaving an indelible mark in their own way, setting the standard, and leaving the team in a better place. As far as white-ball cricket is concerned, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma arguably have a place a tad higher than the rest, given the magnitude of the contributions during their stint as leaders.

MS Dhoni's white-ball captaincy chapter in international cricket lasted an entire decade, beginning with the 2007 T20 World Cup. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, did not have such an extended run as leader, but the impact was there for all to see.

The Hitman's white-ball captaincy chapter officially came to a close as the BCCI appointed Shubman Gill as the new ODI captain ahead of the Australia white-ball tour. Rohit Sharma ended his stint as captain on the highest of notes as it marked Team India's Champions Trophy triumph from earlier this year.

On that note, let us compare Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni's records as white-ball captains for India.

#1 Overall numbers

Both Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni have dominant numbers as white-ball captains in international cricket. The former boasts a win percentage of 75 percent in ODIs, which is the second-highest among players who have led in at least 50 ODIs, with only Clive Lloyd marginally beating the figure with a percentage of 76.19. The latter, on the other hand, is only one of the three players, along with Stephen Fleming and Ricky Ponting, to lead a team in 200 ODIs. He has a win percentage of 55.

In ODIs

In T20Is

MS Dhoni's captaincy journey in international cricket began with the shortest format, and his first assignment ended up being his crown jewel. The opposite was the case for Rohit Sharma, whose last assignment in the form of the 2024 T20 World Cup, ended up being his biggest achievement as captain in the format.

Unlike ODIs, the T20Is present a much better avenue for comparison since they have led India in similar matches. From a statistical point of view, Rohit Sharma has a staggering win percentage of 79.03, which is again, the second-highest by any captain who has led a side in at least 50 T20Is. Only former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan presents better numbers since he has a win percentage of 80.76 after 52 games.

MS Dhoni's 72 matches as T20I captain are the sixth-highest in history, and he has a win percentage of 56.94.

#2 Wins in ICC tournaments

More often than not, the ICC tournaments ends up being the yardstick to determine the success a captain achieved with the team. MS Dhoni led India in ten ICC tournaments, since he took over as white-ball captain. He delivered three ICC titles in the span in the form of the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Rohit Sharma led India in four ICC white-ball tournaments after taking over from Virat Kohli. Out of those four events, the Men in Blue ended up winning two of them, while narrowly missing out on the rest. Across the four events, the team only lost thre matches in total, while their two title runs came entirely undefeated.

Rohit Sharma has a nearly spotless record in ICC tournaments, but the same is not the case for MS Dhoni. In between the silverware campaigns, the Men in Blue endured some horrid ICC campaigns, including the 2009, 2010, and 2012 T20 World Cup, and the 2009 Champions Trophy, in which they failed to qualify for the knockouts.

#3 Rohit Sharma brought dominance while MS Dhoni offered long-term stability

As important as the numbers are, they only provide an outline instead of a clear-cut, final image. Purely going by the numbers, Rohit Sharma has a massive advantage. But there are other factors that have to be taken into consideration.

Statistics do not take the strength of the team into account, especially the state of the side when the captain took over. Rohit Sharma had the luxury of taking over a fairly well-honed team, who were just struggling to clear the final hurdle. MS Dhoni, however, had to take over a team that were strangers to the shorter formats, and an ODI team that were knocked out of the group stages of the 2007 ODI World Cup.

The wicket-keeper deserves massive credit for building and developing a team from scratch in T20I cricket, as well as taking some bold calls with the ODI team for the sake of long-term health. MS Dhoni's guidance and decision-making helped India be put on the world map, and cast away mediocrity, a baggage they had been carrying for quite a while.

At the same time, the challenge that Rohit Sharma faced with the team he took over cannot be disregarded. The constant tag of favorites and the knockout jinx are certainly not easy to live with and resolve. But the way he took an already established side and polished it beyond perfection to make India a fearsome outfit will probably be his biggest contribution as captain.

Conclusion:

Looking closely at the numbers and the underlying details helps us realise that T20 cricket's evolution and the way India have overhauled their game to match its demands, something which Rohit Sharma played a huge part in, makes him India's best T20I captain.

His initiative in leading from the front and helping the team end their silverware drought, coupled with the fact that his vision has arguably set the team up for many more years to come

As far as ODIs are concerned, stating that MS Dhoni has a World Cup and Rohit Sharma failed to deliver in that front should not be the sole focal point to determine who was the better leader. However, with that being said, it is hard to deny that it does not tip the scales in the former wicket-keeper's favor. But it is the way he made India into a dominant force in the format on top of the silverware, that makes him the greatest ODI captain that the country has ever seen.

Realistically, Rohit Sharma could have had the perch all for himself if he had a little more time at the helm with the ODI team. Despite a staggering win percentage, the fact of the matter is that the opener does not have enough matches and silverware under his belt to be determined as the greatest.

Another two years worth of dominance potentially concluding with the 2027 ODI World Cup might have made the Rohit Sharma-MS Dhoni debate a bit more easier, but that shall not be the case.

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Edited by Gokul Nair