Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif provided a perceptive analysis of what really distinguished Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli as Test captains, particularly at home.
After being thrashed 0-3 by New Zealand the previous year, India’s second home whitewash under head coach Gautam Gambhir was a 0-2 series sweep at the hands of South Africa.
While Kohli’s aggressiveness and unwavering standards proved crucial in times of crisis, Kaif, who played 125 ODIs and 13 Tests for India, feels that Dhoni helped the players feel at ease by supporting them.
In 30 Test matches, Dhoni led Team India to victory in 21 of them. In home Test matches, he is the second most successful Indian captain.
“Do you know why Dhoni and Virat Kohli became such great captains? Dhoni first backed the players, created an environment where the players felt comfortable, and then backed them. He had such deep knowledge of reading the back that he built his team accordingly,” Kaif posted on X.
“He used (Ravichandran) Ashwin, (Ravindra) Jadeja, and even Pragyan (Ojha), and all of them took wickets. When Dhoni captained the Indian team, there was a presence which gave a big advantage.”
With 24 victories from 31 games, Kohli is the most successful Indian Test captain at home. Kaif emphasized that Kohli’s success as India’s captain was largely due to his ability to maintain the core.
“Virat Kohli went one step ahead of Dhoni. His aggression comes out when the team is in trouble or stuck. Kohli told his bowlers, If you want to play, then you have to take 20 wickets; else, don’t come to the ground. You know, Kohli has lost two Test matches at home he captained in 31 Test matches. Kohli believed in keeping the core intact,” said Kaif.
“South Africa came earlier when Kohli was the captain. They lost so badly. Virat used his fast bowlers and also backed the spinners after assessing the opposition team. This was his specialty, which is why both Kohli and Dhoni became such great captains.”
