How different is Kohli's captaincy compared to Dhoni?
What's the story
Virat Kohli has done a fantastic job after taking over the Indian cricket team. After 9 consecutive series wins, Kohli lost his first series in South Africa. The Indian team has also transitioned well under the dashing right-handed batsman. But how different has Kohli's captaincy been compared to his predecessor, MS Dhoni? Here are the differences between Dhoni's and Kohli's captaincy.
Attitude
Aggression vs Calmness
The most visible difference is Virat Kohli's aggression, compared to calm demeanor of captain cool Dhoni. Virat, who wears his emotions on his sleeves, not only shows his aggression when it comes to batting but also in his captaincy. Kohli likes to get into the heads of his opposition and remind them that he is the best at what he does.
Approach
Attacking mindset vs Defensive mindset
Virat has brought in an attacking mindset and is always looking to attack the opposition, irrespective of the situation. The idea is to push for a victory, Kohli never wants to settle for a draw. His team selection, in the first 2 tests against SA, is a testament to this mindset. Dhoni, at times, used a defensive approach to settle for a draw.
Strategy
5 bowlers vs 4 bowlers in playing XI
The playing-XI has been radically different under the two captains, with Dhoni usually playing only 4 bowlers. Virat Kohli has a lot of confidence in his batting and hence goes with 5 bowlers, most of the time. However, this strategy backfires if Kohli is not able to score runs. On the other hand, under Kohli, India have been able to bowl out the opposition
Dealing with press
Tackling tough questions
As a captain ,one of the most important jobs is addressing the media. Dhoni is undoubtedly the best when it comes to this. The way, he dealt with the constant questions of retirement after the 2015 World Cup is a reminder of his cool demeanor. Kohli, on the other hand, harbors a no-nonsense attitude and tends to lose his cool.
Faith in team
Constant change of playing eleven
Kohli has never fielded the same playing XI in his career as the Indian captain. All the 35 Tests he has captained, the squad has been rotated. Players who are not in form are dropped, Rahane being an example. Whereas, Dhoni opted to go for a winning combination that would rarely change. Despite players being in bad form, Dhoni used to persist with them.