Former Pakistani cricket captain Salman Butt recently discussed the captaincy reigns of MS Dhoni and Imran Khan, the legendary Pakistani cricketer. According to Butt, Imran faced resource limitations during his tenure as the 1992 World Cup winner but effectively managed his available resources. On the other hand, Dhoni is widely recognised as one of the greatest leaders in cricket history, being the only captain to have won the ICC World Cup (2011), ICC World T20 (2007), and ICC Champions Trophy (2013).
Dhoni ended India's long wait for a second World Cup title in 2011, while Imran orchestrated Pakistan's inaugural triumph in the tournament back in 1992, which also marked his final tournament. Butt acknowledged that comparing the captaincy abilities of these two cricket icons would be unfair.
Butt pointed out that Dhoni had the advantage of leading a formidable batting line-up during his captaincy tenure, whereas Imran had only himself and Javed Miandad as standout batters when leading the Asian giant. Butt emphasises the significant disparity in resources and refrains from making a direct comparison. Nevertheless, he appreciated both captains for their brilliance and astute decision-making. Butt highlighted that Imran was a vocal leader, evident from his gestures on the field, while Dhoni was less vocal.
“I don't want to compare, as there was a big difference in their resources. But both of them were brilliant captains and decision-makers. They would back their players completely. Imran bhai was very vocal, as seen from his gestures. Dhoni was not at all vocal," Butt said in the video.
Dhoni, who retired from international cricket a few years ago, recently led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title. CSK emerged victorious against defending champions, Gujarat Titans (GT), in the 16th season of the cash-rich league.
Dhoni had a remarkable career, featuring in 90 Tests, 350 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 98 T20Is for Team India.
