3 cricketers who could have matched captain MS Dhoni but never got chance

Legendary Indian skipper MS Dhoni is considered one of the nation's most successful captains. Taking over after India’s 2007 ODI World Cup debacle, Dhoni led a young team to T20 World Cup glory that same year. He is the only captain to win all three ICC trophies, the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011), and Champions Trophy (2013).

But while Dhoni excelled, several talented players who shared the dressing room never got a long leadership run. Players, despite having leadership qualities, could have led India with distinction, given other circumstances.

Here are the three potential cricketers who could have become greater captains than MS Dhoni:

3. Virender Sehwag

Legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag had the potential to become a captain like MS Dhoni, if only he had been given a longer rope in that role. Despite serving as vice-captain during the 2011 ODI World Cup and captaining India rarely between 2003 and 2012, Sehwag never got an extended opportunity to lead. In his brief international captaincy stint, he led India in 12 ODIs, winning seven, and in four Tests, winning two with a remarkable 66.66% win rate.

He also captained India in their inaugural T20I in 2006, which was also Sachin Tendulkar's sole T20I match. In the IPL, Sehwag was Delhi Daredevils' (now Delhi Capitals) first captain, registering 28 wins in 53 matches. He later led the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for a single game in the 2015 season. The right-handed batter ended his career with 17,253 runs in 374 international games across formats.