Kolkata: Finally, he speaks up! And we are talking about Team India’s coach Anil Kumble whose retirement made way for MS Dhoni to take over as the skipper in the longest format of the game in 2008. According to Kumble, the bond between Dhoni and Virat Kohli will help the latter grow as a captain.
“Virat came into the side when MS was captain, so the bonhomie and bond that they shared will only help Virat grow as a leader. And Virat has shown the exceptional quality he has and what he brings to the team, both as an individual and leader. We have seen the results under him in Test format and I am sure he will be equally good in one-day format,” said Kumble adding, “MS has been one of the best captains that we have had. Hats off to him and congratulations to him for what he has done as captain. Now looking forward to MS as the batsman and keeper and as a leader. He is still a leader in the team.”
One of the key factors that made Dhoni such a successful captain, according to Kumble is his ability to handle senior players which should be one of the hallmarks of his stint as a captain. Talk of senior players playing under Dhoni, the list is long enough: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, VVS Laxman, Gautam Gambhir and so on, but Dhoni according to Kumble was adept at dealing with them. “It is not easy coming into the team as captain and having so many senior players. He managed them really well. He (Dhoni) not just got the best out of them but also got the best for the team. Both as number one Test side and later on winning the World Cup and then Champions Trophy and many other victories, he has been part of,” Kumble said.
“Ten years of captaincy is phenomenal. It goes to show the capabilities of MS as a leader and also what he has been able to achieve during the transition phase and also when the seniors left as well, it is not easy coming into the team as captain and having so many senior players. He managed them really well,” added Kumble who skippered India in 14 Tests and 1 ODI.
Kumble also praised Dhoni for relinquishing captaincy at the right time. “In this team, besides Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh), everybody else has started his career under MS. So that is the kind of transition he has seen. It has been phenomenal to be able to achieve what he has been able to achieve. We all know the value that he brings as a player and as a batsman and keeper and of course his value on the field. It is never easy to take a call. Hats off to him. That shows how selfless he is and he probably thought it was the right time for Virat to take over. Like how I felt back then it was the right time for MS to come in, it is great for the team to have MS on the field with Virat leading the side.
(With inputs from PTI)