London: An Ashes-winning captain (1986-87, in Australia), Mike Gatting knows a few things about being at the helm. On Thursday, Gatting (now 50) spoke to The Telegraph on captaincy and also shared his thoughts on the ones currently leading the top eight Test-playing nations.

The following are excerpts

On the qualities a captain should possess

No. 1 is the ability to understand players and to understand their needs... He has to get their respect and, obviously, has to be strong on tactics...

On judging captains

It has to be done on two counts: The tactics he employs and the manner in which players execute them. Largely, you’re a good captain if you have a good team... No captain can perform either for his bowlers or his batters... They’ve got to take responsibility and do their job... Of course, the element of luck is there as well. At the end of the day, captains are judged by results.

On his style of captaincy

I didn’t run a one-man show, but it’s not that I captained by committee either... I was a captain who solicited ideas... On the field, I could seek the views of anybody from among the ten teammates… I’d made it clear that if somebody had an idea, he was welcome to bring it up... That I didn’t have a problem chatting about something which emanated from some other quarter... (After a pause) I inculcated a bit of stubbornness... That one had to fight it out in demanding situations...

On whether he read the Riot Act

(Laughs) At times... It’s not a tactic to employ all the time... The better way is having one-on-ones.

On having worked with the one and only Mike Brearley both in the England team and at Middlesex

It was a wonderful apprenticeship... Learnt about the game, about tactics... Dealing with people... Helped enormously... Helped me grow as a captain...

On Brearley

As captain, he relied on instincts... He’d say that if you sensed something could happen, go ahead and make that move... He wasn’t the one to pass the buck... One afternoon during one of my earliest games for Middlesex, Brearley asked ‘Mike, what do you think we should be doing?’ That took me by surprise... The England and Middlesex captain wanting my views... Left me embarrassed too as I hadn’t really been thinking about the game... It was a wake-up call... Brearley, I think, realised I’d been slipping in the field... That’s why the question... I became more focused, more involved... In getting players to respond, Brearley was brilliant.

On whether captains have a shelf life

It’s probably determined by form... Some people did ask whether Brearley was worth his place as a batsman, well, the players would’ve said they wanted him as the captain... I suppose things are slightly more political in India... There’s always another side to the story, isn’t it?

On the present-day captains (alphabetically) of the top eight Test-playing nations

RAHUL DRAVID (India): I think he tries to work with his players... Don’t think he’s hesitant to take advice... And, because Dravid’s such a fine batsman, he’s respected in the dressing room. He gets things done quietly, while Sourav Ganguly had the ‘I’ll do things my way’ image...

STEPHEN FLEMING (New Zealand): Leads from the front... He’s a forthright captain... He’s an honest captain... He lets the players know what’s expected of them and I don’t think there’s any New Zealand player who doesn’t know what’s expected of him. What I like about Fleming is that he’s quietly assertive.

MAHELA JAYAWARDENE (Sri Lanka): He’s a calm man, is good with his team... He understands what’s going on and seems happy to talk to mates like (Kumar) Sangakkara... From what I’ve made out, Jayawardene is happy to accept advice... He’s tough when he needs to be tough... He’s fortunate to have two very good strike bowlers — Muttiah Muralidharan and Lasith Malinga...

SHOAIB MALIK (Pakistan): Haven’t seen him captain, but he’s landed arguably the most difficult job in cricket... His advantage is that he’s got talented cricketers around him... The captain and coach need to work together very closely and I’m sure Malik and Geoff Lawson are going to have a good partnership. Pakistan have to rebuild.

RICKY PONTING (Australia): At times, I’ve found him to be an arrogant captain... Like the other Australian captains in the last 15 years or so, he’s been lucky to have had good players at his disposal... He leads from the front and that makes captaincy easier... That he has had such quality players has enabled him to concentrate on his own game... Ponting’s real test will be now when there’s no Shane Warne and no Glenn McGrath... His handling of the bowling resources is going to be watched with interest.

RAMNARESH SARWAN (West Indies): Frankly, I don’t think he’s got enough drive... Is pretty laidback... Some teams, like the West Indies, need strong leaders... Given the way (Chris) Gayle led in the recent ODIs, the West Indies selectors could look at him as captain... He has the spunk... Has the energy... Clearly, some players need to be given more responsibility.

GRAEME SMITH (South Africa): He’s been captain for a long time (over four years)... A captain needs ammunition and while he has had good seam bowlers, he hasn’t had quality spinners... He can improve...

MICHAEL VAUGHAN (England): He’s quite like Dravid... Is respected in the dressing room and understands his players very well... The message he sends out is be calm and stay relaxed... I don’t think he puts his players under pressure (in tight situations)... Michael has nice merchandise to work with, particularly with Monty Panesar coming so good.

Finally, his message to young captains

Keep your ears and eyes open... If good advice is to be had, listen.