Rahul Dravid picks MS Dhoni as best captain, chooses Imran Khan over Virat Kohli

Rahul Dravid has named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain in cricket history, selecting him ahead of Imran Khan and Clive Lloyd at the conclusion of a winner-stays-on contest organised for Cricinfo's YouTube channel. The former India head coach and batter worked through a wide bracket of celebrated skippers from multiple eras and countries before arriving at his final verdict.

In the contest, Dravid first backed Steven Smith over a strong group that included Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson, Arjuna Ranatunga, Graeme Smith, Stephen Fleming, Michael Clarke, Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins. Smith's own run came to an end when Ricky Ponting entered the bracket and received Dravid's vote. Allan Border was also eliminated by Ponting at a later stage.

Steve Waugh then came into the contest and ended Ponting's run. Virat Kohli followed, removing Waugh from the competition. Kohli's stay proved short-lived, however, as Dravid gave his vote to Imran Khan when the Pakistan great entered the equation. Dhoni ultimately claimed the contest, with Dravid selecting him over both Imran Khan and Clive Lloyd to crown the former India wicketkeeper-captain as his pick for the best leader the game has produced.

What captaincy records did the key candidates bring into the contest?

The captains Dravid assessed carried impressive credentials. Smith, who was eventually eliminated by Ponting, won 62 out of 117 matches across formats while leading Australia, a record that reflects the quality of the field Dravid was working through.

Ponting's numbers were even more substantial. Across 324 matches as captain, he guided Australia to victory on 220 occasions, a tally that also included two ODI World Cup titles and one Champions Trophy. That record was not enough to hold off Waugh when the two were placed against each other in the bracket.

Kohli, who removed Waugh before falling to Imran Khan, won 135 out of 213 matches as captain of the Indian men's team. Imran Khan, having defeated Kohli, then faced Dhoni in the final stage of the contest before Dravid delivered his verdict in favour of the former India wicketkeeper-captain.

The exercise followed a winner-stays-on structure, meaning each captain remained in contention only for as long as Dravid continued to select them over the next challenger presented. The contest was produced for Cricinfo's YouTube channel, giving Dravid a systematic framework to compare leaders from different generations and cricketing nations.

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The bracket spanned some of international cricket's most decorated captains, drawing from Australia, India, Pakistan, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Dravid worked through the field in sequence, with Dhoni emerging as his overall choice at the end of the exercise.