Unlike Dhoni, Kohli has also shown a greater single-mindedness in his pursuit of winsIt shouldn’t come as a surprise that Virat Kohli, the most ambitious and intense modern-day Indian cricketer, has already become the most successful Test captain, notching up his 28th win, one more than MS Dhoni. He now has 13 overseas wins from 27 Tests, while Sourav Ganguly had 11 in 28 games. His job was definitely helped by the fact that he is in command of a far superior pace attack than his predecessors. But it would be churlish to use that as a putdown.
It’s in his intensity and will to win that he stands apart from MS Dhoni, who was a good limited-overs captain but who often let the game drift in Tests. Dhoni had a better batting line-up and his bowling attack, too, wasn’t toothless. Barring the wonderful Jasprit Bumrah, the other pacers under Kohli had played under Dhoni’s leadership. In fact, Ishant Sharma lost his way then and Mohammad Shami, who too has played under Dhoni, has stepped up under Kohli. Unlike Dhoni, Kohli has also shown a greater single-mindedness in his pursuit of wins, even if on the odd occasion it has led to a loss instead of a plausible draw. Dhoni would often play down overseas matches, but Kohli has repeatedly talked about his ambition to win more overseas.
Ganguly had the intensity and the will to win overseas but while his blueprint was built on a fabulous batting line-up — his elevation of Virender Sehwag as an opener was the most impactful factor behind his success as a leader — Kohli’s is built around his bowlers. Still, despite his achievements, Kohli isn’t yet rated as highly as Dhoni or Ganguly in public perception. Dhoni’s aura was built on limited-overs success, in particular the 50-over and T20 World Cup triumphs, and Ganguly would be rightly seen as the man who got India to win overseas on a (relatively) consistent basis. The good thing is Kohli is young and if he continues to improve as a captain, he can leave behind a formidable legacy.
