MS Dhoni Perfect Example For Virat Kohli To Follow As Captain, Says Shahid Afridi

Heaping praise on Virat Kohli, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi said that the India skipper needs to follow the example of his predecessor MS Dhoni as a captain.

There were huge doubts over Virat Kohli’s captaincy skills when he took over the reigns of the team, replacing the legendary MS Dhoni – the most decorated skipper in the history of Indian cricket. Before 2018, India had not lost a Test series under Kohli’s captaincy since he led the team against Sri Lanka in 2015 which was his first full series as captain. India had won that series 2-1 which was their first Test series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years. After that, the Kohli-led side had defeated South Africa 3-0 before the mammoth 2016-17 season where they defeated West Indies (2-0), New Zealand (3-0), England (4-0), Bangladesh (1-0) and Australia (2-1). It was followed by two series wins against Sri Lanka. However, losses in South Africa and England this year ended his winning streak.

Kohli’s record in ODIs and T20Is has been impressive too. So far, he has lost just one series as ODI skipper. earlier this year, he led India to their first-ever bilateral ODI series win in South Africa. He had also led the team to the final of last year’s Champions Trophy.

But there is no denying that Kohli still has a long way to go before he creates his own legacy as skipper. And Shahid Afridi feels Kohli should follow Dhoni’s footsteps to become a successful captain.

“As a captain, Virat needs to win a series abroad. I keep saying that how Dhoni has changed the course of Indian cricket as a captain and as a player, it’s the perfect example for Virat to follow,” Afridi told IndiaTV.

However, the 38-year-old feels that Kohli is phenomenal and his records speak for itself.

“Virat’s records speak for himself, it just shows what a player he his. The most impressive thing I’ve seen about Virat is that he even takes the nets as a match, so whatever he does in the nets, he displays it in the match.

“He takes the responsibility upon himself and it seems like he loves to face the challenges ahead,” Afridi said.

Afridi further backed India to beat Australia in the upcoming four-Test series Down Under.

“India can win the series Down Under because Australia doesn’t have the team that they used to. India have a superb batting line-up and they have improved their bowling as well,” Afridi said.