Captain's Corner: Sourav Ganguly vs Stephen Fleming

5. Runs as captain

Ganguly’s best knock as skipper came against Australia when he hit 144 at Brisbane during the 2003/04 season

Runs as skipper in Test Cricket

	Matches	Innings	Runs	Avg	HS	100s/50s
Sourav Ganguly	49	75	2561	37.66	144	5/13
Stephen Fleming	80	135	5156	40.60	274*	8/31

Runs as skipper in ODI cricket

	Matches	Runs	Avg	HS	100s/50s
Sourav Ganguly	147	5104	38.67	144	11/30
Stephen Fleming	218	6295	32.79	134*	7/38

By virtue of his longevity as skipper, Fleming trumps Ganguly in both Tests and ODIs with more runs under his belt in both the formats as skipper. While Ganguly’s numbers did take a hit under the pressure of captaincy, Fleming was never one who had great numbers, to begin with.

Ganguly’s best knock as captain undoubtedly has to be his innings of 144 against Australia at Brisbane which set the tone for India’s tour Down Under in 2003/04. Defying the barrage of short balls, he played a captain’s knock to rescue India in that opening Test match as the tourists eventually emerged the top side, albeit earning only a 1-1 draw in the four-Test series.

Fleming’s best knock as skipper came in ODI cricket when he guided New Zealand to victory over South Africa with an undefeated 134 helping his side chase down a rain-adjusted target of 229 off 39 overs. He scored his runs off just 132 balls as the Kiwis cruised to a 9-wicket victory.