Dhoni’s ‘Simple Funda’ Unveiled as India Pacer Praises Kohli’s Captaincy: “Mahi Bhai Is the Kind of Person Who… With Virat…”

A cricketer who represented India under both MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli shared insights, revealing key differences in their captaincy styles.

Ishant Sharma Explains the Captaincy Differences Between Dhoni and Kohli

MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are regarded as two of the greatest captains in Indian cricket history. Under Dhoni, India achieved unprecedented success, winning multiple ICC trophies, while Kohli transformed the team into one of the most feared sides globally. Mahendra Singh captained India across all formats, retiring from Tests in 2014 and relinquishing ODI and T20I captaincy in 2017. Kohli succeeded him as the full-time all-format skipper in 2017.

Having played under both, Ishant Sharma recently highlighted the key differences in their leadership styles on Raj Shamani’s YouTube podcast.

“Mahi bhai ke team main difference kya tha? Mahi bhai aise insaan hai jo field pe cheezay karte hai. Unko field pe karna pasand hai. The planning occurred based on the game situation,” Ishant explained.

“With Virat (Kohli), that wasn’t the case. There was a basic plan, and then based on how things progressed, we assessed and made decisions. MS was not a big believer in meetings. He had a simple funda that you will learn only if you make mistakes. He thought that if you made one mistake and how much time you take to make the next mistake, that is consistency,” he added.

Ishant Sharma’s Career Across Dhoni and Kohli Eras

Ishant Sharma represented India in 103 Tests, playing 47 under MS Dhoni and 43 during Virat Kohli’s tenure. In ODIs, he featured in 75 of 80 matches under the two captains—69 under and six under Kohli. All 13 of his T20I appearances came during Dhoni’s captaincy.

While Dhoni has retired from international cricket but continues to play in the IPL for CSK, Kohli has retired from Tests and T20Is, remaining available only for India’s ODI squad.

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