Gautam Gambhir rates Anil Kumble the best captain he had played under

He also said Kumble would’ve broken more records had he been captain longer

gambhir-test-file-afp [File] Gautam Gambhir | AFP

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has revealed the best captain he had played under is legendary spinner Anil Kumble, adding that had he captained the national team longer, he would have broken a lot more records.

Gambhir made his debut in international cricket in 2003 when current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly was captain of the Indian team. Heaping praise on Kumble’s captaincy, the cricketer-turned-politician said that he would have wanted the spinner to lead India for a longer period.

“Yes, M.S. Dhoni in records point of view, is right up there but yes, for me the best captain I've played under is Anil Kumble,” he said. Dhoni had led India to the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 50-over cricket World Cup.

“Sourav has done really well. One captain that I would have definitely wanted to captain India for a long time is Anil Kumble. I played six Test matches under him probably; he didn't captain India for that long. Had he captained India for a long time, he would have broken a lot of records,” Gambhir said in the Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

Kumble took over as Test captain of the team in 2007, and led India in 14 Tests, winning three, losing six and drawing five. He remains the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests and ODIs.

Dhoni, who was the ODI and T20 captain then, took over the reins of the Test team from him in 2008.

Gambhir, whose 13-year international career came to an end in 2018 with his retirement, also briefly captained India during 2010-2011 in the 50-over format.

📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines