Sourav Ganguly reflects on Virat Kohli's heartfelt tribute to MS Dhoni
What’s the story?
Former Indian skipper, Sourav Ganguly was full of praise for Virat Kohli after reading the latter’s heartfelt tribute to outgoing Indian limited overs skipper MS Dhoni following his decision to relinquish captaincy from the 50-over and T20 format.
Despite Kohli’s astonishing run of form both as a player and successful start as skipper of the Test side, Kohli’s words of praise for Dhoni struck the right chord with the public and obviously Ganguly, who made his thoughts known on Twitter.
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With a little over a week to go for the three-match ODI series between India and England, Dhoni took everyone by surprise by announcing his decision to step down as skipper from the limited-over formats of the game but added that he would continue to be available for selection as a player.
Kohli, who has seen the table’s turn having made his debut for India under Dhoni’s captaincy, penned a beautiful tribute to his first captain that has gone viral on social media.
The heart of the matter
Ganguly, who along with Dhoni are undoubtedly two of India’s finest skippers in the modern era, was much impressed with Kohli’s words and praised him for not forgetting the path towards his rise as an international cricketer, especially the role played by Dhoni.
While Kohli is in the form of his life at the moment having had a truly remarkable 2016, there were times when he faced the axe and it was Dhoni who safeguarded his place in the side – a fact Kohli had no qualms admitting in his tribute.
Ganguly took to Twitter to praise Kohli for his attitude and Dhoni for his achievements as the skipper of the Indian side in a couple of posts on Sunday.
What next?
While Kohli has undoubtedly started off in an impressive manner in the Test format, it will be interesting to see how he fares in the limited-overs formats of the game that Dhoni ruled with the three major ICC trophies India gained under his captaincy ample proof of the same.
The first challenge for Kohli starts with the three-match ODI series against England which begins on January 15.
Sportskeeda’s take
Dhoni’s transformation from a carefree aggressive player to a more measured one might have divided opinions among the Indian public, but there is no doubting that Dhoni’s captaincy drew appreciation at all times.
Kohli has a tough task on his hands, but it is really heartening to see that his appreciation for Dhoni and equally wonderful to see Ganguly appreciate the mutual respect between the two.