The connection between 183 scores and captainship: Ganguly, Dhoni, and Virat's high score of 183

The connection between 183 scores and captainship: Ganguly, Dhoni, and Virat's high score of 183

As Indians, we have three captains and players in Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli. They have all encountered the number 183 at some point in their lives. Their highest ODI score is 183 for the three of them. Yes, it is a complete coincidence that all three have the same highest score in the shorter format. When they hit 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup, Ganguly was the first to get there. It was a must-win game, and his 157-run innings enabled India to upset the then-World Champions and avoid an early exit.

Dhoni aided us in chasing down a 300-run target with six wickets in hand and helped 183 in the ODI match. The win put us up 2-0 in a seven-match series that we would eventually win 6-1.  Kohli has been a member of the club since 2012. In the Asia Cup, his knock meant that we quickly reached our target of 330 runs against Pakistan. It boosted our chances of making the final.

Get to know in detail about ODI’s high score of 183

During the 1999 World Cup, the number 183 reappeared: a young left-hander from Kolkata smashed a group of hapless Sri Lankans all over Taunton for 17 fours and seven sixes to reach the magical total with another player from Bangalore in tow. Sourav Ganguly was selected full-time captain of India next year, despite having previously led India.

Another long-haired man from Ranchi came in to help chase down 299 with 23 balls to spare. At Jaipur, he struck an unbroken 183 with 15 fours and ten sixes; two years later, he led India to a World Twenty20 title, and the next year, he was captaining India in all formats of the game. Social media brawls over who is the better captain between the two. It was the highest score by a second-inning batsman in an ODI.

Over the years, while Dhoni went through many ups and downs and hairdos, a Delhi youngster who had already been labeled as rash and pompous sought to put his mark on Sachin Tendulkar's final ODI. At Mirpur, Virat Kohli tore through Pakistan's assault, bowling them out for 330 with 13 balls to spare.

What qualities does an Indian Cricket Team have?

Being a great player and a great leader are two entirely different things. There was a time when the best player in the playing XI was granted the captaincy. Still, the time has proved that many have struggled to cope with the responsibility of captaincy despite dominating the game with their unrivaled cricketing abilities.

Leading a cricket team is difficult, especially in a country like India, where the sport is revered as a religion. While a non-captain plays a part based on their specialty, the captain must deal with personal differences, complaints, team selection, mental strengths, team building, and many other minor matters.

In the sport's history, India has had 33 Test captains and 24 ODI captains. At one moment or another, they have all carried the hopes of millions of Indians on their shoulders. Each of them has shaped Indian cricket somehow, whether through a spectacular victory or a comeback from obscurity.

More dominance at home test series

Since the 3-0 sweep over England in 1993, when Kumble, Raju, and Chauhan spun the hosts to victory, India dominated at home in Test cricket under Kohli. During the whole decade of the 1990s, they did not lose a Test series at home. Ganguly sustained Azharuddin's dominance at home, and India under Dhoni pushed it to a new level. However, what the country has seen under Kohli's leadership is unprecedented in history!

With Kohli at the helm, India has won 23 of their 30 home encounters (and lost just two). This outperforms Dhoni's home record of 21 victories and three losses in as many games. Since a 3-0 triumph against South Africa in 2015-16, Kohli has led India to ten consecutive series victories at home. He led his team to another 3-0 victory over them.

The success story behind Dhoni being captain

Dhoni reached his century after only 85 balls and from the start of his innings, reaching his half-century with a boundary in just 40 balls. Sehwag returned soon after Dhoni's fifty. The long-haired Indian batsman continued to hammer the Lankan spinners for boundaries along and over the pitch, reaching his century after only 85 balls before Sri Lanka had played their 25th over of the innings. After facing a little more than the following 30 balls, Dhoni struck another 50 runs to reach a total of 150 runs, which was his most excellent ODI score at the time.

Dhoni is also named captain of the Indian team for the ICC World Twenty20, held in South Africa. He guides a young Indian team to win over Pakistan in the final. He takes a chance by selecting Joginder Sharma, an untested bowler, to bowl the final over instead of Harbhajan Singh, and it pays off.

After only 85 balls, Dhoni had his century. Dhoni was on fire from the start of his innings, scoring his half-century in just 40 balls with a boundary. Soon after Dhoni's fifty, Sehwag returned. The long-haired Indian batsman began to batter the Lankan spinners for boundaries along and over the pitch at will, reaching his century after only 85 balls before Sri Lanka's innings had reached its 25th over.

Hard work behind Virat Kohli success

In the 60 Tests he has captained, Virat Kohli has led India to win in 36 of them. Virat Kohli win-loss ratio of 2.571 is the best in Indian Test cricket history, much exceeding Sourav Ganguly's (1.615). With a win-loss ratio of 1.5, MS Dhoni is ranked third. Kohli is also at the top of the lists in Win Percentage, at 60 percent. Kohli started with a 2-1 win in Sri Lanka in August 2015 and ended with a 1-0 win against the same opponents in November 2017; this period includes an unbeaten run of 10 series. For context, India won 10 of the 20 series it played under Ganguly's leadership, and 12 of the 23 series it played under Dhoni's leadership. From April 2008 to June 2011, India went undefeated in 12 straight series under Dhoni's captaincy.

Final thoughts

Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and, most recently, Virat Kohli have all been exceptional captains in Indian cricket. Every captain has carved out a niche for themselves in some fashion. India has also won two World Cups in cricket. The Indian cricket team, led by Virat Kohli, is now a force to be reckoned with in international cricket. The Indian cricket team is performing admirably.

After whitewashing the hosts in the just-finished Test series, India has an unassailable 3-0 lead in the limited over’s format. Another factor was that these setbacks occurred long before any of them had attained superstar status. They were all inexperienced in international cricket and were only starting to establish a name for themselves. These 183 points went a long way toward achieving that goal. Our Indian cricket team is doing wonders in the field by achieving great victory.