MS Dhoni believes Virat Kohli has a 'very bright future' as captain of all formats

Impressed by Virat Kohli’s leadership skills, MS Dhoni has showered acclaim on India’s Test captain and expected him to do a stellar job in all formats of the game. Speaking at the launch of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) trophy in Chennai, the 35-year old also cited his experience of playing under current head coach Anil Kumble and believed that the former skipper’s hard working nature would be a valuable asset.

Dhoni enthused, “Virat has been fantastic over the years. If you see, what really counts is how you can improve your game. Right from the very first game that he played for India, he is somebody who always wanted to improve and he always wanted to contribute in the team’s win. And by contribution it was not a small, he always wanted to be the Man of the Match in those terms.”

He added, “So I feel that he was always pushing himself. When it comes to fitness, reading of the game, execution of his plans, I feel that’s what makes him very special. After that, it’s how you lead your team and since he has the experience of leading RCB and also now that he is the Test captain for the more than a year, I feel in a way he has groomed himself looking at all the challenges that he had to face.

“I feel that he has done an exceptional job and that he has a very bright future ahead of him when it comes to being the captain of the teams.”

Having taken over the Test captaincy from Dhoni during January 2015, Kohli led India to an away series win in Sri Lanka and a 3-0 conquest of South Africa at home. After taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 4-match series against West Indies in the Caribbean, the 27-year old’s team have a chance to retain their number one ranking if they win the final match at Port of Spain.

With a T20I series scheduled in Florida later this month, Dhoni expressed delight in joining forces with the iconic Kumble. Reminiscing on the leg-spinner’s fierce determination during his playing days, he predicted a ‘special’ era for Indian cricket under the 45-year old’s guidance.

The wicket-keeper batsman quipped, “Well Anil Bhai, I have played with him, I have played under him and he’s a very special man. He’s one of the few players irrespective of the conditions whether it’s (assisting) spin bowling or not, whether we’re playing abroad or not, he was somebody who was very aggressive when it comes to his bowling.

“He was somebody who put in a lot of hard-work who would prepare very well over a period and you know he’s just fantastic.”

“The integrity part, the honesty part, the hard-work, the affection and yes the big change has been the sense of humor. He had a different kind of sense of humor when he was playing. You know if you understand him at the right time, you know ‘okay he was giving that joking reply’ and he just keeps moving from there. So it will be nice.

“Already I think we are the No. 1 Test team, so that’s very good for us and I feel we’ll have a special time.”