You will always be my captain, emotional Virat Kohli tells Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Virat Kohli has paid tribute to Mahendra Singh Dhoni after the latter stepped down as captain of the Indian cricket’s ODI and T20 teams. Kohli is India’s Test captain and a natural successor to Dhoni
Two days after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down as captain from all formats of the game, India’s Test skipper Virat Kohli praised his predecessor through Twitter, stating the former would always be his captain.
It was under Mahendra Singh Dhoni that Virat Kohli made his Test and ODI debuts and the swashbuckling right hander was quick to thank India’s most successful captain for donning the role of a perfect senior in the dressing room.
The tweet, “Thanks for always being the leader a youngster wants to have around him. You’ll always be my captain @msdhoni Bhai” has already gone viral and been retweeted over 7,600 times and been liked over 21,000 followers.
Though the new captain hasn’t been named yet, but it’s widely anticipated that Kohli, who has had a terrific run as the Test captain, will take over the mantle.
The BCCI has also paid tribute to Dhoni. The 2011 World Cup win has been the most defining moment in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s career.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however, has made himself available for selection for the upcoming limited overs series against England.
Dhoni has played 283 ODIs, scoring 9110 runs, averaging 50.89 with an 88-plus strike rate. He has hit nine centuries in this format to go with 61 fifties.
He has also played 73 Twenty20 Internationals, scoring 112 runs, averaging nearly 36 with a 122 strike rate. This is quite a benchmark for Virat Kohli to emulate.
Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India won the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007, the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and remained the number one test team for 18 months from December 2009.