New Delhi:
Preferring to stay away from comparisons, former skipper Sourav Ganguly says current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has done "wonders to Indian cricket" and is poised to lead the country in the 2015 World Cup.
'Captain Cool' Dhoni once again lived upto the billing by leading India to ICC Champions Trophy triumph on Sunday.
"Dhoni has been an outstanding captain. His record as captain is terrific. He still has a lot of cricket left in him and he has done wonders to Indian cricket," Ganguly said.
"Dhoni backs players as well. People like (Suresh) Raina, (Ravindra) Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma have developed under him as players and has some terrific qualities as a leader," he was quoted as saying by a news channel.
For the 31-year-old Dhoni, winning the Champions Trophy completed a remarkable cycle of triumphs which started with the T20 World Cup in 2007. India also won the 2011 ODI World Cup under his leadership and the victory yesterday reaffirmed his status as India's best-ever captain. No other captain in international cricket has won three major ICC trophies.
Asked about the next 50-over World Cup, Ganguly, under whom India became a force to reckon with in international cricket by winning Test matches abroad, said, "I am sure he has got the 2015 WC at the back of his mind. He is young, a terrific ODI player and there is no reason why he won't be captain."
While Dhoni has often said that the mantra to his success has been to keep things simple, Ganguly has a different take.
"Well, you try to keep things simple...You try! Dhoni looks okay from outside. There must be a lot of pressure from inside. Situations are something you react to and he looks less fussy. But whatever it is, he has done a marvellous job for India," Ganguly said.
Even as reams of prints have been dedicated to articles on comparison between the 'Prince of Kolkata' and the man from Jharkhand, Ganguly doesn't quite entertain the thought.
"I really don't know why people are comparing me with Dhoni. I don't think it will be possible for me to compare myself with him. I don't believe in comparisons. You can't compare players or captains or people of different eras. Situations are different and you react differently."
