Kris Srikkanth reveals how 'calm' MS Dhoni was totally opposite of 'aggressive' Sourav Ganguly as captain

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New Delhi, April 19: Former India cricketer and ex-chairman of selectors, Kris Srikkanth has decoded the captaincy styles of Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and MS Dhoni and also revealed what set the three legendary skippers apart. Dhoni surpassed Ganguly as the most successful Indian captain across formats and created a legacy of his own.

Srikkanth while talking to ANI said, "When Dhoni was the captain in the 2007 T20 World Cup, he handled the side really well, the win boosted his confidence. He has always been calm and cool, he has motivated the players, aggressive culture was brought in by Sourav Ganguly, MS was totally opposite of that, when Kumble was the captain of the Test side, it was a good chance for Dhoni to learn. Anil gave him much-needed experience, Dhoni gave a lot of confidence to the players."

Talking about Dhoni's legacy, Srikkanth said: "When somebody like Dhoni made it to the national side, the powerhouses of Indian cricket started to change, a cricketer from Ranchi was a masterstroke, a zonal selector was watching cricket in the east and he saw something really special in Dhoni. He did not do something substantial in his first two matches and people wrote him off. But he played a 140 odd knock against Pakistan and it made Dhoni really confident".

Srikkanth also claimed that it was Dhoni's success at the big stage that opened the doors for talented cricketers from smaller cities and towns and that will be the wicketkeeper-batsman's legacy.

"Post Dhoni era, we have seen a lot of players from small towns making the cut. This legacy will be very huge and it is a testament to Dhoni. The team was handed over in the right way to Virat," he added.