Virat Kohli took the legacy of Ganguly, Dhoni forward, and substantially built on it: Ian Chappell

Australian great Ian Chappell lauded Virat Kohli for his remarkable leadership qualities after his decision to step down as the Test captain of the Indian team earlier this month. Kohli decided o quit as India's Test captain post the team's 2-1 loss against South Africa away from home.

Comparing Kohli and Root as captains, Chappell pointed out how one has been excellent at his job while the other has been a failure. Root-led England were recently hammered by Australia in the Ashes 2021-22. England failed to win even one game in the five-match series as they lost 4-0 against the hosts.

Root has since been facing intense criticism from all corners and questions have been raised on his leadership. Pointing out the contrasts in the captaincy styles of Root and Kohli, Chappell credited the former Indian captain for leading the team to tremendous success overseas and carrying forward the legacy of both MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly.

"This is a tale of two cricket captains; one very good at his job and the other a failure," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPN Cricinfo.

"There's no doubt Kohli was an exception as captain; he didn't curb his enthusiasm but he was still able to lead the Indian team to a higher level. With the capable assistance of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, he lifted India to overseas success as no other captain had done.

"Kohli took the legacy of Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni and substantially built on it in seven years at the helm. His biggest disappointment as captain was the recent series loss to South Africa after India led the away series 1-0, though he didn't captain in the middle Test of that series, in Cape Town," added the former Australia captain.

Joe Root a captaincy failure: Ian Chappell

Chappell came down hard on Root for his poor captaincy in the recently-cocnluded Ashes where England were thoroughly outplayed by the Aussies. The former Australia captain said Root might be a great batter but he has been a failure as a captain.

"The captaincy failure, despite having led his country more times than any other captain, is Joe Root. It doesn't matter what Root or any other English devotee tells you, Root is a fine batter but a poor captain," wrote Chappell.

While Kohi signed off as the most successful captain for India in Tests with an impressive 40 wins in 68 matches, Root has so far led England in 61 Tests and has managed only 27 wins while losing 25 matches.