When the debate over the greatest international cricket captains begins, names such as Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Ricky Ponting, Imran Khan, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are often part of the discussion. Each has enjoyed remarkable success while leading their respective teams.
Clive Lloyd guided the West Indies to the first two ODI World Cup titles in 1975 and 1979, while Kapil Dev led India to their maiden World Cup triumph in 1983. Ricky Ponting also enjoyed a hugely successful tenure, winning the World Cup twice as Australia captain.
Among India's modern-day leaders, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have also established themselves as highly successful captains. However, former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid has picked MS Dhoni as the best international captain.
Dravid made his choice during an ESPNcricinfo quiz in which he had to select the better captain from a series of head-to-head matchups.
He initially picked Steve Smith over Ben Stokes and continued to back Smith against several renowned captains, including Kane Williamson, Arjuna Ranatunga, Graeme Smith, Stephen Fleming, Michael Clarke, Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins.
However, Smith's run came to an end when Dravid chose Ricky Ponting over him. Dravid subsequently backed Ponting against Allan Border, but selected Steve Waugh when the Australian great was placed against Ponting.
The former India captain then opted for Virat Kohli over Waugh. When Imran Khan entered the contest, Dravid chose the former Pakistan captain Imran over Kohli.
The final stages saw MS Dhoni emerge as Dravid's preferred choice over Imran Khan. When Clive Lloyd was then presented as the final challenger, Dravid remained firm with his decision and selected Dhoni as the best international captain.
MS DHONI - The GOAT Captain 🐐 [Cricinfo] pic.twitter.com/egFxJjrC3D
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 12, 2026
MS Dhoni's captaincy record makes a strong case for his place among the greatest leaders in international cricket. He remains the only captain to have won all three major ICC limited-overs trophies across the three formats of the game.
Under Dhoni's leadership, India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Four years later, he captained India to the 2011 ODI World Cup, ending the country's 28-year wait for the prestigious trophy.
Dhoni completed his ICC trophy collection by leading India to victory in the 2013 Champions Trophy. He also guided India to the top of the Test rankings during his tenure.
With major ICC titles across his captaincy career and success in Test cricket, Dhoni's achievements explain why Dravid ultimately placed him above several legendary captains in the quiz.
