Murmurs about Virat Kohli replacing MS Dhoni as ODI captain

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gets ready to choose an Indian team for the South Africa series, there are murmurs that Virat Kohli may replace MS Dhoni as the ODI captain, says a report in the DNA.

Though it’s not official yet, the selection meeting to pick the T20 and ODI squads is likely to happen in New Delhi on September 15, according to the New Indian Express. The contrasting personalities of Kohli and Dhoni seem to have impressed the selectors in Kohli's favour, reports the paper.

Meanwhile, former India player Sadagopan Ramesh writes in The Asian Age that there are a few factors that one must take into consideration before handing over the reins to Kohli. “To begin with, I can’t see a dug-out wherein Dhoni is playing under the orders of Kohli. You never know how the environment in the dressing room would be when such a situation arises. It might even be tough on Dhoni to only be a part of the team as a player having led the bunch for so long. Even the World Cup-winning skipper Steve Waugh opted to quit as ODI leader to make way for a younger captain while staying on as Test captain. With the T20 World Cup coming up, a drastic change at the helm might pose problems,” writes Ramesh, adding that Dhoni has mastered the art of captaincy in the shorter versions and is sensational when it comes to T20. I believe Dhoni’s best is yet to come. 

“Having seen Kohli achieve success in Tests, Dhoni would be eager to show the world that he is still the best leader in the country. I expect a fired up Dhoni to turn up against the visiting South Africans. Dhoni scores over Kohli when it comes to man management, which is a key aspect of captaincy. The biggest challenge Dhoni faced when he took control of the team was how he would bring together some of the greatest cricketers — Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Virender Sehwag — India had ever produced under one roof. Not only did he accomplish that, but he was also able to extract the best out of them,” writes Ramesh.