Rohit Sharma could lift a second ICC title in 10 months. For a captain who was under severe criticism after the India cricket team failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade and now he’s getting a lot of praise. His tactics have been on point in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy as India reached the Final, and that’s why Rohit Sharma is getting a shout that he is the greatest ODI captain for India. But does he really hold a candle to MS Dhoni?
Let’s start with a place where they are equals. Both have played in 4 ICC Finals. For Dhoni, it was the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, 2013 Champions Trophy, and 2014 T20 World Cup. Rohit Sharma is slightly diverse. He has made the finals of four different ICC events as the Indian captain: the 2023 World Test Championship, the 2023 ODI World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The case for MS Dhoni
Now, let’s see where Dhoni is better. He has 3 titles. No captain has won all three ICC trophies. He’s one of three ODI captains who have 200 caps to their names. He broke a 28-year ICC trophy drought. Rohit Sharma has shown his acumen in the field, but no one is close to Dhoni when it comes to field placements and reading the game. One can say Dhoni was the starter of the white-ball revolution that India still is in. He’s the OG (original gangster), as people say.
The case for Rohit Sharma
Where Rohit Sharma is ahead is an overall better record. Dhoni failed to make the final of several ICC events. The opener has led India in three white-ball events and has made the final in each. Dhoni, meanwhile, failed to reach the summit in three T20 World Cups (2009, 2012, and 2016). Rohit also has the second-best winning percentage of any ODI captain, who has led in 50 matches.
Highest winning percentage as ODI captain (minimum 50 matches)
| Captain | Team | Career | Matches | Matches Won (%) | Matches Lost (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Llyod | West Indies | 1973-1985 | 84 | 64 (76.19%) | 18 (21.43%) |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 2007- | 55 | 41 (74.55%) | 12 (21.82%) |
| Rinky Ponting | Australia | 1995-2012 | 230 | 165 (71.74%) | 51 (22.17%) |
| Hansie Cronje | South Africa | 1992-2000 | 140 | 99 (70.71%) | 37 (26.43%) |
| Virat Kohli | India | 2008-2021 | 95 | 65 (68.42%) | 27 (28.42%) |
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What goes against Rohit Sharma and in MS Dhoni’s favour
Dhoni had several greats, but the overall team wasn’t as good as the current one. Rohit Sharma has Jasprit Bumrah, who Dhoni hardly, if ever, had. The same goes for the likes of Shreyas Iyer, who is the only player with an average of over 50 and a strike rate of over 100 in ODIs. A pace-bowling all-rounder in Hardik Pandya was a luxury that Dhoni never had. Shubman Gill holds the record for the highest ODI average for someone with 2,000 runs. Kuldeep Yadav never played under the wicketkeeper.
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