Why Dhoni-Virat era will be tough to match for any Captain

As Virat Kohli thanked his captain, MS Dhoni, in his long note while announcing that he is done with leading Team India for good, one can't help but draw some parallels between the two men. The two of them had different journeys in domestic and international cricket but both ascended to the throne and led Team India admirably. While Dhoni ensured that Team India won two world titles and a number of ICC trophies, King Kohli taught the team to become the best travelling side in the world.

Dhoni ensured supremacy in white-ball cricket, then Virat Kohli took the Test team to greater heights. The continuity in leadership during the transition from Dhoni to Kohli was an example for possibly all international teams. Most teams would struggle in that period. However, Team India continued to play as if nothing had happened. As the student became the master when Virat took over, Dhoni became the guiding light for Team India till he retired.

Whenever Virat spoke about MS, the young captain always had nothing but gratitude for the veteran leader and always considered him the best captain India ever had. Unlike Dhoni, Virat possibly never tasted much success in white-ball cricket, neither in IPL but when it came to Test cricket, Virat was in a different league. Just like his guru, Virat's retirement comes out of the blue, leaving cricket pundits and fans shocked.

Between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, Team India broke many shackles, shattered many records, set new standards and buried a lot of egos, along with dominating international cricket. From 2007, when MSD led Team India for the first time in Durban at the inaugural World T20 till Virat's last stint as skipper in Cape Town in 2022, this has definitely been a golden era that will be extremely hard to match.