Ambati Rayudu picks India’s greatest Test captain between Ganguly, Dhoni, Kohli

Former India batter Ambati Rayudu has named whom he thinks is India’s greatest-ever Test captain in Indian cricket’s history in a fun “winner stays on” challenge. Several legendary names including MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Virat Kohli have led India in the longest format of the game.

In a video posted by ESPNcricinfo⁠, Rayudu was asked to choose between some of India’s most notable Test captains, with the winner of each round staying on to face the next name.

The challenge began with Rayudu picking Sachin Tendulkar over Mohammad Azharuddin. However, Tendulkar’s run was short-lived as Ganguly replaced him in the very next round.

From there, Ganguly dominated the contest. Rayudu backed the former India captain ahead of several distinguished leaders, including Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane.

That set up a blockbuster final showdown between Ganguly and Kohli, two captains widely credited with shaping different eras of Indian Test cricket. When asked to choose between the two, Rayudu opted for Kohli, declaring him the ultimate winner of the challenge and, in his view, India’s greatest Test captain.

Ganguly is often credited with transforming India’s overseas mindset and building a fearless team culture during the early 2000s. Kohli, meanwhile, took Indian Test cricket to unprecedented heights, placing a strong emphasis on fitness, fast bowling and winning overseas.

Under Kohli’s leadership, India became the world’s No. 1-ranked Test side for an extended period and reached the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final. He remains India’s most successful Test captain in terms of matches won, with 40 victories in 68 Tests.

After a long break, Test cricket finally made its return to India with a one off Test match against Afghanistan. Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first. As things stand, the home side are in a dominating position, declaring for 564 for 8. The match is being played at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur.