Former Australian skipper compares captaincy of MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli

Clarke stressed that Indian skipper Virat Kohli is still growing as captain but is the best batsman in the 50-overs format.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke on Sunday named Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni as the standout captains for India over the years. Speaking to India Today, the former Aussie international said that Kohli is still growing as a captain.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Saurav Ganguly of India celebrate the stumping of Matt Prior of England during the Fifth NatWest One Day International between England and India at Headingley on September 2, 2007 in Leeds, England. (Getty Images)

“I think the Indian captains that stand out for me are Ganguly and MS Dhoni. Virat continues to grow as a captain,” the 38-year-old said.

Clarke, though, stressed that the Indian skipper is the best batsman in the 50-overs format. “As a batsman, there is no one close to him in ODIs. I watched Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara rule ODI cricket while I was growing up but at the moment Virat in ODIs is better than anyone else,” he said.

“To be able to handle the pressure of a billion people and still going on to score day after day is something that stands out,” Clarke added.

Former England skipper Nasser Hussain further praised Kohli’s batting and said that the right-handed batsman could surpass maestro Sachin Tendulkar’s records.

“Virat is not worried about anything else other than winning games for the country. That is his greatest asset as a captain, I feel. I thought there never will be someone to replace Sachin, but Kohli is going to break them all - just a phenomenal achievement by a phenomenal player,” he said.