5 reasons why Sourav Ganguly was a better captain than MS Dhoni

Desire to win

Ganguly's display of emotions belied his hunger for victory

It is fashionable among cricket experts to applaud Dhoni’s calmness and his relaxed attitude even in the face of disappointment. But with great captains through the ages – be it Clive Lloyd, Imran Khan, Allan Border or others – what is noticeable is their hunger for victories.

So then, is it something to celebrate that Dhoni doesn’t seem bothered at all even when his team loses a key match? It's good to not let one defeat overpower your emotions but the great captains have been those who wanted their team to win at any cost and refused to accept defeat.

Dhoni’s tranquillity has helped him remain calm during tense moments and get his side home but as a captain, he has been too often found untroubled by defeats.

Ganguly’s over-the-top celebrations at Lord’s in 2002 and his kicking of a soft-drink can in disgust earlier that year when England managed to level a 6-match ODI series in India were signs that he didn’t like losing and this attitude percolated to the rest of the team.

In comparison, the abject surrender by Dhoni's teams in various Test matches along with the inability to grab victories when opportunities arose suggest a lack of killer instinct and an acceptance of the situation.

To remain unruffled in the face of adversity is a great quality for a normal human being but is not something that is present in the most successful captains in the history of cricket.