Kolkata: Virat Kohli who is all set to take over as the skipper of the Indian ODI and T20 sides from MS Dhoni who stepped down a couple of days back, has paid tributes to Dhoni on Twitter.
In a Twitter message, Kohli says, “Thanks for always being the leader a youngster wants to have around him. You’ll always be my captain @msdhoni Bhai.” For Kohli who made his international debut under Dhoni and whose career was saved by the former Indian skipper in Australia in 2012 when the selectors wanted to drop Kohli in favour of Rohit Sharma, the message was keenly awaited.
There is no denying that Kohli rose to stardom under Dhoni’s leadership and together they have designed many a memorable victory for the country. In the recent past, there were some reports which suggested that all was not well between the two, but Kohli has put to rest all such speculations with his tribute to Dhoni who has to his credit, the feat of being the most experienced international captain, having led India in 331 matches across the three formats: Tests, ODIs and T20s.
The National Selection Committee will officially name Kohli as Dhoni’s successor today. It will be interesting to note how Kohli uses Dhoni in the batting order. Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar is of the view that Dhoni should bat higher in the interest of the team, but the final decision will lie with Kohli and coach Anil Kumble as the Indian team gets ready to face England in three ODIs and three T20 Internationals.
Meanwhile, there are stories doing the rounds that Kohli might be rested for the T20s looking at the five Test matches India is slated to play against Bangladesh and Australia. However, nothing has been confirmed yet.
More on Dhoni, former Pakistani great Zaheer Abbas in an interview with PTI, has paid his respects to Dhoni. “He (Dhoni) has given outstanding contribution to Indian cricket team in all three formats and won so many matches. Indian team has touched new heights under his leadership. It will not be easy to emulate his success,” said Abbas.
Thanks for always being the leader a youngster wants to have around him. You'll always be my captain @msdhoni Bhai ??
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 6, 2017
(With inputs from The Indian Express)