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Rahul Dravid chooses Imran Khan over Virat Kohli, but MS Dhoni takes the ultimate captaincy crown: 'With what he did...'

Rahul Dravid chose MS Dhoni as the best captain. However, his picking Imran Khan ahead of Virat Kohli was quite interesting. 

Updated on: Sep 12, 2026, 15:58:11 IST
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Who's the greatest captain ever? Is it MS Dhoni? Is it Virat Kohli? Is it Ricky Ponting? Well, opinions have always been divided, and social media has always seen heated debate on the matter. But who does Rahul Dravid reckon sits at the pinnacle? Over the years, the sport has seen several characters emerge, each with a distinct style. Sir Clive Lloyd had his own mannerisms, while India has also had several memorable skippers who steered the ship through turbulent times.

Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid during the T20 World Cup (AFP)
Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid during the T20 World Cup (AFP)

Hence, it was no surprise to see Dravid put on the hot seat and asked to name which captain he prefers over the other. Eventually, the Wall concluded the game by naming MS Dhoni as the ultimate winner. The choice wasn't that alarming, as Dhoni has one of the most enviable records as skipper, having won the ODI World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. During his tenure, India also became the No.1-ranked team in the Test rankings.

Also Read: Rahul Dravid ‘behaving like an owner’ in ETPL, leaves strategies up to Ashwin, Vikram Rathour: ‘Lost opening five games’

Dravid played under Dhoni for several years and saw the latter marshalling the troops from up close. The former India head coach chose the player from Jharkhand over the likes of Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, Steve Waugh, Virat Kohli and Imran Khan.

Dhoni took over the ODI captaincy from Dravid after the latter stepped down following India's 2007 World Cup debacle, in which the Men in Blue crashed out in the group stage.

Dravid's choices

In a video shared by Cricinfo, Dravid played the game of ‘winner stays on’, and he initially chose Steve Smith over Ben Stokes, Pat Cummins, Arjuna Ranatunga, Kane Williamson, Graeme Smith, Eoin Morgan, Steven Fleming and Michael Clarke.

However, Dravid, who owns the Dublin Guardians in the ETPL, finally looked past Smith as Ponting's name popped up. The former Indian batter chose Ponting over Allan Border; however, he chose Steve Waugh next.

When Kohli's name popped up, Dravid chose him without breaking a sweat, but the Indian batter couldn't beat the 1992 World Cup-winning captain. While explaining his decision to choose Imran over Kohli, Dravid said, “For what he did, Imran Khan.”

The game then ended with Dhoni chosen ahead of Imran and Sir Clive Lloyd. It is worth noting that both Imran and Lloyd are regarded as two of the best leaders ever to play the sport. Under Lloyd, West Indies was the best team and won the World Cup in 1975 and 1979. However, Imran landed Pakistan its one and only World Cup triumph in 1992.

  • Vishesh Roy
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Vishesh Roy

    Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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