'Got to talk about results, you're tested at ICC events' - Sanjay Manjrekar excludes Virat Kohli from his list of greatest India captains

Virat Kohli has won India more Test matches than any other captain. He is only second to MS Dhoni in all international matches. Having had so many accomplishments to his name, including Test series wins in Australia and England,  Virat still does not make it all the way up in Sanjay Manjrekar's list of best Indian captains.

MS Dhoni topped his list based on the fact that he won India three major ICC trophies. According to him, a team's success in ICC events is the biggest criteria in judging a captain. Dhoni notably won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.

In an interview with News18, Manjarekar said, "MS Dhoni is clearly one of India’s greatest captains. I judge captains generally on international cricket and also on ICC events. Because that’s when you are really tested. When you are playing bilateral cricket, you are going to the office and coming back. There is not much pressure there. But ICC events, that is where Dhoni has been tremendous. Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Saurav Ganguly and Virat Kohli."

Kohli, on the other hand, has captained India in four ICC events but failed to win any. Manjrekar did admit that Virat Kohli has set an example as the captain for others and that he has a never-say-die attitude.

"When you look at Kohli, there are a lot of things to like about him because he is somebody who led by example. The Wanderers Test match before this series, when they played on a treacherous pitch. India lost the series 2-0 but Kohli set an example as captain.

He said that we want to win this despite a pitch that could have killed somebody. That kept India’s morale high. That is what you get with Virat Kohli, the never-say-die attitude. In the World Test Championship final India lost. But till the last minute India through Virat Kohli was still fighting to salvage the game. But finally, you’ve got to talk about the results. The results were not coming," Manjrekar said.