Virat Kohli took over Test captaincy from MS Dhoni | PC- AFP
Legendary Test skipper Harbhajan Singh has spoken about the difference between Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni's Test captaincy styles.
Dhoni is regarded as one of the finest white-ball captains, while he had his shortcomings as a Test leader. Meanwhile, Kohli, who succeeded MSD in Test cricket, is touted as the best Indian captain in the longest format.
As Team India is set to play its first Test series in Sri Lanka since 2017, when Kohli was at the helm and at the peak of his powers, Harbhajan has commented on the Dhoni vs Kohli Test captaincy debate to spice things up.
Harbhajan Singh on Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni's style of Test captaincy
Harbhajan Singh, who played Test cricket under both Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, compared the two mavericks of the Indian cricket and their contributions to the longest format.
Meanwhile, the legendary off-spinner praised India's most successful Test captain by crediting him for bringing a change in mindset.
According to Harbhajan, Kohli, as captain, won't shy away from taking on unthinkable tasks, which his predecessors didn't use to do.
"Dhoni had given him (Virat Kohli) the captaincy, and people wanted to know what was different between Dhoni's captaincy and Kohli's. The simple change Virat brought was his mindset. On the fifth day of a Test, there were situations when we thought 400 runs was an impossible target to chase. Virat would say, 'We will try.' He believed that it was okay to lose while trying because eventually, one day, you would be able to chase 400 as well," Harbhajan Singh told PTI.
Also Read: Virat Kohli Made India Ruthless In Sri Lanka; What Are Shubman Gill's Odds To Match Him?
Additionally, the 46-year-old stated that Virat Kohli's biggest contribution to Indian cricket wasn’t just his batting records, but the fitness culture he created within the team.
"That was a major shift that Virat Kohli brought to Indian cricket. His contribution to fitness was unbelievable as well. I think his biggest contribution was not necessarily the number of runs he scored for India or for himself. I would give him 90 per cent credit for raising the fitness level of the team. We needed a benchmark, we needed a role model, and Virat Kohli became that role model."
When MS Dhoni handpicked Virat Kohli as India's Test captain
During the 2014/15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the then Indian all-format captain MS Dhoni missed the first and last Test matches due to a back injury, which led Virat Kohli to take over the charge as the Test captain for the first time.
The swashbuckling batter started off his Test captaincy saga with twin centuries at Adelaide. Moreover, under him, India went on to climb a mammoth mountain of 364 runs in the final innings, but missed it by a whisker.
Later, after Dhoni stepped down from the format, Kohli got the opportunity to build the team around his own methods, which he did. Four years down the line, he succeeded by bringing the first-ever Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia.
Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni: Numbers as Test captain
Under Kohli, India played 68 Test matches and won 40 of them, with a winning percentage of 58.82, which is still the third-best in the world for captains with an experience of 50 matches.
MS Dhoni, on the contrary, led India on 60 occasions in Test cricket, winning just 27 out of them. Meanwhile, under him, the Indian side registered 18 losses and 15 draws.
- Virat Kohli: 68 matches, 40 won, 17 lost, 11 drawn (Win %: 58.82)
- MS Dhoni: 60 matches, 27 won, 18 lost, 15 drawn (Win %: 45.00)
Meanwhile, Kohli won a Test series in Australia, Sri Lanka & West Indies, drew a series in England, and won matches in South Africa.
On the other end, an MS Dhoni-led side never won a match in Australia, while he helped India register famous Test wins in New Zealand (2009), South Africa (2010-11), West Indies (2011) and England (2014).
Also Read: Sri Lanka Captain Issues Open Threat To India Ahead Of Galle Test
