For me, Mahi bhai is always the No.1 captain: Shardul Thakur

All-rounder Shardul Thakur, who led Mumbai to an innings and a 222-run win over Pondicherry in the most recent round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 campaign, has rated MS Dhoni as his No.1 captain. 

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Having played under captains like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for India and Chennai Super Kings, the star all-rounder has taken a leaf out of all three players’ captaincy styles, but rated Dhoni on top among the three.

"For me, Mahi bhai is always No. 1 (captain). But yes, I take a leaf out of all three players’ captaincy style. I've watched them closely… how they lead the team and handle things. It's important for me to keep taking positives from their captaincy," Thakur told the media. 

Asked to take up the Mumbai captaincy after Ajinkya Rahane quit the role, Thakur has captained Mumbai, who are currently on top of their group with 24 points, with three wins in their first five matches of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season.

"They asked me whether I'm ready to lead the team or not. I immediately said 'yes, of course I'm ready to lead the team.',”he added.

"I have my own style, and I keep telling these boys when we are on the field that we shouldn't be afraid of making tactical changes in our games. If you feel something is necessary or we could apply these tactics, then you should go ahead with it, and you should keep bringing fresh ideas to the table. So, that's my motto. And of course, don't go overboard with things. We also need to know our limits as players, and within the limit, whatever your game allows you, you should be able to do that. That's my simple message for everyone,” he concluded.

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