Captaincy is one of the most crucial aspects of modern cricket and here is my all-time list of the greatest skippers I have seen.

Ian Chappell (Australia): Ian was a great judge of strengths and weaknesses. I have never seen him go wrong in judging a player's potential. He was one of the most successful captains who took players as they were and got the best out of them. A sign of a great leader is leading from the front. And Ian never fell short in this category.

Clive Lloyd (West Indies): I have tremendous respect for Clive as a player and as a captain. He took up a very young and inexperienced team and turned it into a powerful force in world cricket. He had the good fortune to have talented players who knew what was expected of them and didn't have to do much in the field. His players delivered without fail. When the occasion demanded, he pulled his team out of trouble with his experience. The World cup debacle in 1983 against a weak Indian attack and a 5-1 loss to Greg Chappell's Australians in 1975 will stick up as sore wounds in his record. But in all Clive was a great cricketer and captain.

'Players like Wasim Akram owe their career to Imran Khan - one of the greatest captains of the game'


Stephen Fleming (New Zealand):Under Stephen, the Black Caps performed to their fullest potential. His team's performance under his tenure speaks for itself. If he had a couple of good batsmen in his side and an additional reliable fast bowler, New Zealand would have done even better.

Imran Khan (Pakistan):His very presence was enough to stir up the best in his players. He didn't talk much but was very good at judging players' strengths and weaknesses. He was confident and never gave up easily - and could lead the team from front, whether it was bowling or batting. Imran had the courage to pick inexperienced players by trusting their potential. Players like Wasim Akram owe their career to Imran - one of the game's greatest captains.

Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka):Sri Lanka's ascendence into a high-quality team happened under Ranatunga. The most memorable performance of his team was the World Cup win in 1996.

MAK Pataudi (India): Though he lacked resources, Pataudi was a great captain. He never lost his cool. He could motivate his players and was extremely confident. India had mostly amateur players in the team at his time and he was able to bring his team around and fight Lloyd's mighty West Indians in 1974-5.

Allan Border (Australia):The Australian team has reached its pinnacle today due to the foundations laid by Border. His team was not the best when he was captain. But the never-say-die spirit of the Australian cricketers was nurtured under Border.

Mark Taylor (Australia): Again a great player and captain. He was the first one to go after wins and not let a game slip. After Border, Taylor strengthened the foundations of Australian cricket.

Steve Waugh (Australia): Steve took the Australian team to a higher level. He led his team from front and used his resources very well. Though he lost a couple of series, he had set a trend where Australians learnt from their errors and corrected them instead of accepting the results.

Sourav Ganguly (India): India emerged as a challenger under Ganguly. He could manipulate his talented side by being aggressive and changing the nature of the players for the first time. But he got carried away with star status and began to fail with the bat. If one looks at Indian cricket, one can split it into pre- and post-Ganguly eras.

Ricky Ponting (Australia): The current Aussie skipper leads from the front and plans his games very well. He has taken meticulous preparation to another level and it is paying dividends. His very presence in the team comes with an air of needing to win every game against every team. Ricky does not care about series wins any more. He wants to win every game and his record shows it.