Dhoni the right man to lead India: Sourav Ganguly

Former India skipper, Sourav Ganguly believes that MS Dhoni is the right man to lead the team as India look to defend their world title at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia-New Zealand.

While there have been murmurs, recommending vice-captain Virat Kohli to take up the top job, Ganguly, who was speaking at a leadership conclave, said Dhoni should be at the helm of affairs, at least till the end of the world event.

"Dhoni should stay as captain till the World Cup," Ganguly said, while he was quick to point out that the wicket-keeper batsman has had his fair share of problems as Test skipper.

However, Ganguly empathized with Dhoni by adding: "Captaincy is not an easy task. You have a lot of answering to do."

While Ganguly expected India to be a tough team to beat in the One-Day Internationals even in Australian conditions, he was far more skeptical of the team's chances in the longer format. "India haven't prepared well enough for the Test series in Australia", said Ganguly.

The former skipper also said India are capable of winning in Australia and opined that the start in Brisbane (venue for the opening Test) would be important. "India must put runs on the board to win Test matches. That's an area of concern," he said.

Also speaking at the conclave was VVS Laxman, who assessed the difference in leadership styles of Ganguly and Dhoni. "A good leader identifies match-winners. Sourav is emotional and Dhoni is not. That's the only difference between them."

India play a four match Test series with hosts Australia, followed by an ODI tri-series, which also features England. This series would serve as a build-up, ahead of India's World Cup title defence, which begins with the match against Pakistan in Adelaide.