As cricket’s legendary figures rise and fall, so do the myths and fallacies that surround them. The notion that a cricket team’s success depends largely on its captain is one such legend that has stood the test of time. The question of whether or not a captain alone can win a tournament was recently revived by the commentary of Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian opener, during the ICC World Cup 2023.
For a deeper appreciation of the controversy, one needs to rewind to 2011, when MS Dhoni captained India to a World Cup victory. Dhoni’s captaincy throughout this historic event was excellent. He was justly hailed as the man behind India’s rise to prominence. The issue of whether the captain’s recognition is disproportionate to the team’s efforts remains, however.
Gautam Gambhir Makes An Indirect Reference To MS Dhoni While Highlighting England’s Loss
Cricket legend Gautam Gambhir discreetly brought up this topic during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Gambhir shared his opinion on the situation while delivering an analysis for Star Sports, the host broadcaster. Similarly to Dhoni in 2011, he picked a time when England’s skipper, Jos Buttler, was battling to lead his side to victory. Gambhir asked a straightforward but intriguing question: “If only a captain could win you the World Cup, why hasn’t Jos Buttler been able to clinch this one for England? He couldn’t win this World Cup for England simply because the batters haven’t been able to score runs and bowlers haven’t provided him the breakthroughs.”
It is too easy to blame a cricket team’s fortunes on its captain. Cricket is a team sport that requires cooperation and coordination between players. In the case of India’s World Cup victory in 2011, Dhoni oversaw a team of tremendously gifted players. Whether it was the powerful batting of Sachin Tendulkar or Virender Sehwag, or the deadly bowling of Zaheer Khan, every player had a big impact.
The current captain of the England cricket team, Jos Buttler, is an exceptionally gifted and competent leader. However, as Gambhir pointed out, the captain cannot shoulder the whole responsibility for success or failure. Buttler’s failures in the ICC World Cup 2023 aren’t all on him. The inability of the batsmen to score runs and the bowlers to make breakthroughs have been crucial factors in England’s difficulties.
Gambhir points out that when a team wins a tournament, everyone credits the captain, but does not highlight the other team members who have contributed to their country’s win.
Gambhir added: “So when we give the credit of winning the tournament to only one person, we seldom focus on other cricketers and show no empathy, credit and praise for how they also contributed to the nation’s success.”
