“MS Dhoni was a far better wicketkeeper captain than Kumar Sangakkara”- Parthiv Patel ignites fresh debate

Parthiv Patel played under the captaincy of both MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara.

Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel has stated that India’s MS Dhoni was a far better captain and wicket-keeper than Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara. This was said by Parthiv when he was asked to compare MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara, as he had played under both players.

Dhoni and Sangakkara, two contemporaries who battled for the number one status throughout their careers, faced off in the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. The two captains made their usual impressions, but it was Dhoni’s team that closed the night by lifting the World Cup trophy.

Dhoni, who had not done much in the World Cup, saved his best for last, scoring an unbeaten 91 off 79 deliveries, striking the winning maximum to lead India to victory, and was named Player of the Match.

“There is no comparison. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a far better wicketkeeper captain than Sangakkara because I played with Sangakkara in the Deccan Chargers when he was the keeper-captain. It’s not that he was bad. There’s no disrespect, but Dhoni as a captain, wicketkeeper was above everyone else,” Parthiv said on ‘The Great Indian Cricket Show’.

Parthiv Patel played for India and CSK under MS Dhoni and then under Kumar Sangakkara in the now-defunct Deccan Chargers.

Rishabh Pant is a work-in-progress: Parthiv Patel calls Adam Gilchrist a ‘complete package’

Parthiv went on to dispute whether Adam Gilchrist, Rishabh Pant, or Sangakkara would be a better left-handed wicketkeeper batter.

For Parthiv, the obvious choice was the devastating Australian wicket-keeper Gilchrist, who was a “complete package” during his playing career. The 40-year-old outlined the rationale behind his pick and added that Pant is a “work-in-progress”.

“Adam Gilchrist. Obviously, Sangakkara was a different player in style and grace. But he didn’t play his entire career as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Sometimes as a batsman, sometimes as a wicketkeeper. Rishabh Pant, I think, is still a work-in-progress as far as white-ball cricket is concerned. But I think Adam Gilchrist is the complete package in terms of white-ball and Test cricket,” Parthiv added.

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