Anil Kumble is the only Indian bowler to take 500 Test wickets. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna/Files)

Former India batsman Gautam Gambhir rates Anil Kumble higher than both MS Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly in terms of captaincy. The left-handed batsman has high regards for Dhoni and Ganguly but feels that it would have been better if Kumble was in charge for a longer period.

“From the records point of view it obviously has to be MS Dhoni. He has won every ICC trophy possible. He has done fabulously well, he has handled the pressure for a very long time. Sourav (Ganguly) has also done well. But one person I would definitely, would have liked to captain India for a long time should have been Anil Kumble. I played 6 Test matches under him and had he captained India for a long time would have broken many records,” Gambhir said on Star Sports ‘Cricket Connected’ show on the occasion of IPL’s 12th anniversary.

“From the records point of view Dhoni is right up there but for me the best captain I played under is Anil Kumble,” Gambhir, who is now a BJP MP, added.

Kumble took the helm from Rahul Dravid in 2007 in the longer format of the game and led India in 14 Tests, in which he won three, lost six and drew five.

However, his stint as captain lasted little less than a year as he retired in November 2008, following which Dhoni was appointed as the skipper in all three formats.

Gambhir also picked Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma as the all-time great IPL captain. “I think it’s Rohit Sharma . He has won the IPL four times and his captaincy is all about winning trophies,” he said.

“He will end up being the most successful IPL captains of all-time as well, probably he will finish with 6 or 7 titles under his belt.”