Leg and Off: Is Rohit Sharma on par with MS Dhoni as captain?

Team India skipper Rohit Sharma added to his ever-growing legacy by leading the side to an emphatic title run in the recently concluded 2025 Champions Trophy. It was India's second consecutive ICC title - both coming under Rohit and with the team remaining unbeaten through the tournament.

As if there wasn't enough meat on the bone for the Rohit Sharma vs MS Dhoni captaincy battle heading into another IPL season, India's 2025 Champions Trophy triumph has only heightened the noise around the debate. Rohit fans celebrated him becoming the first-ever captain to lead his side to the final of all four ICC events across formats once India defeated Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal.

However, Dhoni fans always had a response by pointing to the title count and how the World Test Championship (WTC) never existed during his captaincy stint. Now, with Rohit winning his second ICC title as skipper, the clash of these two legendary captains of Indian cricket in fan debates is unavoidable.

Yet, with all things tangibly and intangibly considered, has Rohit drawn level with Dhoni as captain? Or has Rohit even achieved the unthinkable and surpassed Dhoni?

Let us look at a few key numbers and other factors to decide if Rohit Sharma is now on par with MS Dhoni as captain.

T20Is and IPL

The MS Dhoni-Rohit Sharma captaincy duel first picked up steam when the latter led the Mumbai Indians (MI) to five titles in eight years between 2013 and 2020. At that point, Dhoni still had three IPL titles as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain.

However, the 43-year-old added two more titles in 2021 and 2023 to make it a 5-5 dead heat between the duo in the IPL. Unfortunately, that very much ended the IPL captaincy debate between Dhoni and Rohit, considering the former has a better percentage of playoff and final appearances with CSK over Rohit's with MI.

Dhoni has also won 46 more IPL games overall compared to Rohit as captain, with a better winning percentage of 59.37 to the latter's 56.32.

Coming to T20Is, Rohit has Dhoni beat in almost all the tangible categories except World Cup wins, which is tied at 1-1. However, Dhoni fans will argue that the 2007 T20 World Cup victory with a group of relatively inexperienced players pre-IPL was more impressive than the 2024 triumph.

Yet, India going unbeaten in the 2024 T20 World Cup, considering the volatility of the format, could be Rohit's retort. By these metrics, if we conclude that the 'Impressive meter' for the two T20 World Cup titles are level, the rest of the comparison favors Rohit all the way.

The 37-year-old has eight more wins in overall T20Is as captain despite leading the side in ten fewer games than Dhoni. A winning percentage difference of over 20 in Rohit's favor is the cherry on top for the current Indian skipper.

Considering these numbers, it is safe to say that Dhoni's margin of victory over Rohit in IPL captaincy is matched in reverse when it comes to T20Is.

Verdict: Dhoni and Rohit are neck-and-neck in terms of overall T20 captaincy.

ODIs

The comparisons are slightly harder between Dhoni and Rohit when we turn our attention to the 50-over format. While the former has led Team India in an incredible 200 ODIs, the latter is still on 65.

Yet, even with the massive difference in sample size, Rohit boasting a winning percentage of 77.27 compared to Dhoni's 59.52 in ODIs cannot be ignored. While ardent Indian fans will admit the current Indian side being much better, especially with the ball, than the one Dhoni led, it is impossible to definitively prove the same.

Nevertheless, Dhoni's big edge comes in the form of his leading India to two ICC titles in ODIs - 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. One could argue that as impressive as Rohit's men were in going unbeaten in the recently concluded Champions Trophy in Dubai, doing the same in England as Dhoni's side pulled off was an even greater feat.

The bigger nail in Rohit's coffin is Dhoni finishing the job off and leading India to the biggest prize in cricket - an ODI World Cup win. For Rohit, it was a classic case of 'so near, yet so far' as India ran through the table in the 2023 ODI World Cup, only to stumble in the final hurdle to Australia.

Verdict: Dhoni still holds a slender edge in ODIs, thanks to the World Cup triumph.

Tests

Similar to the ODIs, the huge difference in sample size makes the Dhoni-Rohit comparison exercise one without a fair common denominator. Yet, for the record, Dhoni almost certainly holds the edge in terms of volume and percentage.

The former skipper led India to an excellent winning percentage of 60 if draws are removed, while Rohit is at 57.14 by the same logic. However, should draws be included, the tale reverses and Rohit's winning percentage of 50 is higher than Dhoni's 45.

Neither captain led India to memorable away Test series wins in Australia, England or South Africa. However, Dhoni was the captain when India won the 2009 Test series in New Zealand.

Rohit becoming the first Indian captain to suffer a home Test series whitewash since 2000 in the recent New Zealand series unfortunately counts against him.

Verdict: Dhoni's ceiling being slightly higher and floor being not as low gives him the nod over Rohit in Tests.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is safe to say that Rohit Sharma has entered the discussion for the greatest Indian captain across formats with the 2025 Champions Trophy title. While Dhoni held the unofficial 'GOAT' title among Indian captains for over a decade, Rohit has reduced the gap considerably with back-to-back ICC titles and a series of other results.

Yet, the ODI World Cup win, overall experience as captain in the two longest formats and Rohit's recent Test struggles means Dhoni still remains in a class by himself, even if only just.

Final Verdict: Rohit Sharma still has some catching up to do in terms of captaincy volume, titles and Test series wins for an eye-to-eye meeting with MS Dhoni.