"Dhoni slightly in front of Ricky Ponting"- Ex-AUS Legend explains why MS Dhoni was better captain than Ricky Ponting

Cricket has seen many leaders who have done wonders when they led their team at the highest level. However, when it comes to the best captains in history, only a few names come to mind. And Ricky Ponting certainly tops the chart.

Ponting is the only captain to lead a team to win two ODI World Cups (2003 and 2007) and the Champions Trophy in 2006 as well. Under his leadership, Australia was also undefeated in the test format. But the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni also comes in that league.

MSD is the only captain to have won every major ICC trophy, including the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011, and the Champions Trophy in 2013. Thus, this will always be a topic of discussion: who was the best captain between MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting?

However, former Australia left-arm spinner Brad Hogg, who played under Ponting, has rated MS Dhoni as a better leader overall than Ponting. During a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, Hoog was asked by a fan, to choose the best captain between Dhoni and Ponting.

The former spinner believes that both captains are excellent in their own right, but that MS has an advantage because of the Indian politics he dealt with during his stint.

Hogg said, "For me, both did exceptionally well, both have got a fantastic record. You cannot separate them. I’d say that MS Dhoni probably had more politics to deal with in Indian cricket than what Ricky Ponting did. That probably puts Dhoni slightly in front of Ricky Ponting."

Furthermore, Hogg admitted that Ponting had an easier job with a bunch of experienced and proven match-winners on his team. He added that the main work for Ponting was to control some areas related to the attitudes of the players, their discipline, and their plans.

MS Dhoni announced his international retirement in 2020 and is part of the Indian Premier League, while Ponting is part of the Delhi Capitals as a head coach. Ponting led Australia in 77 Tests, winning 48 of them with 16 losses and 13 draws. He was the second-most successful captain in tests behind former South African skipper Graeme Smith (53).

Meanwhile, Dhoni has 27 wins in the 60 tests he has led. In one-day cricket, both MSD and Ponting are the most successful captains. The former Australian skipper has 165 wins in 230 ODIs, while the former Indian captain led India to 110 victories in 200 games.