When a cricket captain's legacy is addressed, their decision-making is always brought up first. There have been several brave decisions made by captains throughout the history of Indian cricket, sometimes to the team's advantage and sometimes not. Indian captains have single-handedly changed the course of history with their choices, which had an impact on the team for years to come rather than only in the short term. Let us look at the most shocking decisions by cricket captains.
1. MS Dhoni’s Final Over In The 2007 World Cup Final
India had pushed its neighbors to chase a total of 157 runs after they had batted first. Pakistan needed 13 runs in the final over, and Misbah-ul-Haq was on strike. Though Harbhajan Singh was available, Dhoni's brave choice to let Joginder Sharma bowl the final over was at first a dubious one. The bowler had a rough start, but he managed to get the crucial scalp of Misbah to give India their first T20 World Cup victory in cricket history. The flawless decision-making abilities of Dhoni in that game will be seen by everyone in the world.
2. Saurav Ganguly Vs England In 2002
If an English captain wins the toss, they usually choose to bowl first in those circumstances. In England, using two spinners would also seem to be a risky move. In 2002, Sourav Ganguly made this startling decision while playing the home team. When Ganguly bravely chose to bat first after winning the toss, the Indian team was already down 0-1 in the away series. He was right to deploy two spinners in Leeds as the visitors quickly racked up a large total of 628 runs at the cost of eight wickets. As a result, India won the game and tied the series at 1-1.
3. Ms Dhoni’s Decision In The 2013 Champions Trophy Final
India and England competed in the 2013 Champions Trophy final. Even though MS Dhoni had previously gone for many runs, his brave choice to support Ishant Sharma paid off nicely. India scored 129 runs overall with the help of Virat Kohli's 43 runs. In the second inning, it looked as though England would easily win the game. Up until that point, Ishant had allowed 27 runs in his three-over period. The game's outcome changed when Dhoni decided to support him in the 18th over. Two key wickets were taken by Ishant, who also helped India get back into the game.
4. Saurav Ganguly Sent Laxman Vs Australia In 2001
Without a doubt, Sourav Ganguly was a brave skipper. He never hesitated to make daring decisions. When he chose to bat VVS Laxman at position three in the Kolkata Test against Australia in 2001, he made a decision that raised questions. The Australian team back then was virtually unbeatable. When they batted first, the visitors scored a whopping 445 runs. Laxman contributed 281 runs, and Rahul Dravid contributed 180 runs of his own, giving India a staggering 657 runs overall.
5. Ms Dhoni At Number 5 In The 2011 World Cup Final
In the championship game, MS Dhoni bravely chose to bat at number five instead of Yuvraj Singh, who had been playing brilliantly there. Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar left Team India early, but Gautam Gambhir persevered at one end. Dhoni walked out to bat at No. 5 after Virat Kohli was dismissed, much to everyone's astonishment, and produced a historic inning of 91 runs, aiding India in winning their second ODI World Cup in cricket history.
6. Negative Tactics In Nagpur Test, 2008
In the 2008 three-match test series versus Australia, India had a 1-0 advantage. India opened the batting and scored an impressive 441 runs. In the second innings, Australia was comfortably on 189-2 after just 49 overs and was on track to surpass India's total. After that, Dhoni gave his bowlers the order to bowl outside the off-stump area to counter the batsman's aggressive threat. However, Australia collapsed and was dismissed for just 356 runs.
7. Taking One Glove Off At The 2016 T20 Wc
India was under strain in the World T20 contest against Bangladesh as the opposition required two runs off three deliveries. Dhoni pulled off his glove and positioned himself behind the stumps after having a lengthy conversation with the bowler. Then, following his directive, Hardik Pandya bowled a short delivery, which prevented the tail-ender from connecting. Before the non-striker could steal a run, Dhoni grabbed the ball, ran, and knocked the bails off the stump. India had accomplished the seemingly impossible, and Dhoni once more put the game away in style.
8. Stephen Fleming
He was regarded as a brilliant tactician who understood how to manipulate the situation. Fleming served as the team's captain despite lacking several established game-winners. The players he used to create the moments included Mccullum and Vettori, to mention just a couple. Fleming served as captain as New Zealand won the inaugural Champions Trophy in 2000. They twice advanced to the semifinals while he was in charge. On paper, it may not seem like much, but Fleming's leadership played a significant role in New Zealand's appearance as a danger.
9. Virat Kohli – Playing 5 Bowlers
A team can only prevail in a Test match by taking 20 wickets. After taking over as captain, Kohli strengthened India's bowling assault and chose a 6-5 combination. India now fields 5 bowlers and 6 batsmen, plus the wicketkeeper. India has excelled both at home and away thanks to the addition of a second bowler, and the Indian bowlers have consistently performed well. The Indian bowlers mostly performed as expected during the trip to South Africa, but captain Kohli emphasized that the team's batsmen had failed.
10. Virat Kohli – Handing Debut To Axar Patel
Axar Patel, who was also regarded as a white-ball expert, was not making the starting XI despite being called up for the Test team three times, with his first call-up occurring in 2014. When the chance to play three spinners at home presented itself, Kohli gave Axar Patel his debut, who has excelled with the ball. Axar has taken 36 wickets in 5 Test matches, exceeding all expectations. He is a true wicket-taker, having recorded five five-fors and a four-for. He hasn't yet played a match outside of India, but at home, he's been just as talented as R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
