"He (Kohli) is a fantastic captain. I don't know what he does inside dressing room or what he does tactically, as I'm too far away (from the team). I don't know what he speaks in team meetings but the way he looks after his players is remarkable," Ganguly said during a book launch here.
"I keep saying about MS Dhoni and what I see of Virat on MS is fantastic. A champion player (Dhoni) who's probably on his last leg of his career and Virat coming and saying that he's my man and I want him to play. You just change a player," he added.
Kohli, however, has said his friendship with Dhoni has grown immensely over the years and it's a blessing to have him in the side.
Ganguly said: "He's top class cricketer, one of the best India have produced for a long long time. He reaches out, he handles it well.
"I like Virat Kohli and when I see him on the field, I sit on my sofa and watch. I've said it many times he's a champion player. When I see him captaining India, he wants to win in all conditions. He's very passionate," Ganguly lavished praise on the current Indian skipper.
Ganguly said his best legacy was to create the self belief of winning away matches.
"It's difficult to identify one series. We were 0-1 down and won 2-1 against Australia was remarkable in 2001," said the 45-year-old former skipper.
"But I keep saying you always be judged how you do outside India. Of all our wins, Pakistan was good as well. It's the belief we had of winning way that's the legacy. After Dravid took over captaincy, we went to England and won there in 2007, so it's the belief we can win away," he added.
Recollecting the famous NatWest final win, Ganguly said captaincy was about holding back your emotions.
"We had a terrific start and then Ronnie Irani came to bowl his slow medium bowlers. I told Sehwag 'dont leave at this stage'," he said.
"Ronnie pitched it up and Sehwag scored a boundary. I told him to rotate a strike, he scored two more and also swept another. I finally stopped going at him, he understood that I as not happy.
One of the most memorable image from that final was Ganguly taking off his shirt and and twirling it wildly at the Lord's Balcony.
"Before that we had lost three finals. A lot of that expression after the game was a sigh of relief. I just got carried away," he said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
