Both Virat Kohli and his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni have influenced India’s cricketing fortunes in the recent years, but the current captain and his predecessor are two very different individuals when it comes to their approach to endorsements, leadership, and the game. While Kohli has been upfront about his commercial engagements – too straightforward for his own good – Dhoni has usually played it cool and subtle. In fact, it was his cool, easy-going personality and tongue-in-cheek humour - on and off the field that made him a favourite with brands. But Dhoni did land in trouble once for being part of an alcohol brand. It prompted former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss to write to him asking him to refrain from endorsing alcoholic beverages. 

In many ways, the two top achievers bring their own distinctive personality flavours to their cricketing exploits. Kohli embodies aggression in the field while Dhoni had a more subdued leadership style. Where Kohli prefers an all-out approach - a la the charge of the light brigade -- Dhoni is happy being cautious. The team under Kohli has virtually abandoned a defensive approach. Dhoni is calm! As a captain, he believed in absorbing pressure while Kohli, the more expressive of the two, believes in taking pressure away from everyone. The difference in their approach to captaincies is most evident in the fact that while Dhoni opted for giving a long rope to players he believed in, Kohli prefers dropping players because of lack of form. Kohli is currently in the form of his life, and the way he’s playing, he’s the best batsman in the world at the moment. But he has miles to go to match Dhoni, under whose captainship India won the 2007 World T20, the 2011 ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy.