3 Biggest captaincy blunders in international cricket

Unlike football, captaincy in cricket holds paramount significance. A captain on a cricket field is perhaps as important as a manager in football, arguably even more. From field placement to making bowling changes, a lot rides on the captain. Therefore, unlike other sports, a captain in cricket gets unparalleled credit every time his team finishes on the right side of the result.

Needless to say, an error in judgement on the captain's part often leads to the side's downfall, inviting criticism from pundits and vitriol across social media platforms. Just like any other working professional, a captain is also not immune to failing; however, what becomes unignorable is when they commit a blunder which could have been circumvented.

Here's a look at three massive captaincy blunders in men's international cricket:

#3 Virat Kohli's decision to field first in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final

Virat Kohli is renowned for his fearless captaincy. He took every decision with conviction and backed himself to the hilt. But his choice to field first in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy turned out to be a gaffe.

Nobody is denying that India were a brilliant chasing team back then, and it influenced Kohli's call; it seemed he missed out on considering three crucial factors:

• The scoreboard pressure: Finals bring nerves, and history is a testament to the same. By allowing Pakistan to bat first and set a total, India missed out on that advantage.

• The weight of Indo-Pak rivalry: An India-Pakistan cricket match is not any other game. It brings truckloads of pressure, and it often leads to a team's undoing. India were at the receiving end of it that day as their strategy to chase fell flat on its face, and they ended up losing by 180 runs.

•  Veering away from the winning formula: India had thumped Pakistan by batting first to get their tournament underway in Birmingham. India posted 319 in 48 overs, and Pakistan only managed 164 in 33.4 overs, losing by 124 runs (DLS). Therefore, India's go-to move should have been to bat first again, but they abandoned the formula.

#2 Sourav Ganguly's decision to field first in the 2003 ODI World Cup final

Sourav Ganguly's decision to field first after calling it correctly at the toss in Johannesburg turned out to be a big blunder. It stemmed from his call to bat first when India faced Australia earlier in the tournament in Centurion and got bowled out for merely 125, losing the game by nine wickets and 166 balls to spare.

But in an attempt to course-correct, Ganguly played into the hands of Australia. With no scoreboard pressure to contend with, Australia batted with freedom and posted a mountain of 359. India failed to scale it down and fell short by 125 runs.

#1 West Indies make Tony Greig eat his words

"I'm not really sure they're as good as everyone thinks. These guys, if they get on top they are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey [Brian Close] and a few others, to make them grovel."

Those were the infamous words of Tony Greig as he sat for an interview on the BBC's Sportsnight programme ahead of West Indies' tour of England in 1976. 

Greig's statement was problematic as it came from a white South African and carried racist overtones. It incensed Windies as they vowed to give a befitting reply to Greig and England.

West Indies thrashed England 3-0 in the five-match Test series and 3-0 in the three-match ODI series, making Greig, then England captain, repent.