According to former India fielding coach R Sridhar, Virat Kohli was very keen to take over as the team’s captain for white-ball matches.
Nobody is surprised by Virat Kohli’s adoration for former India captain MS Dhoni. When Dhoni was a member of the Indian squad, their friendship frequently became the talk of the town. Then, Kohli, who had made his international debut in 2008 when Dhoni served as captain, served as Team India’s captain. After deciding to leave the longest format of the game, Dhoni gave Kohli the Test captaincy in 2014. But according to former India fielding coach R Sridhar, Kohli was very ready to take over as the captain for white-ball matches as well.
“There was a time in 2016 when Virat was very eager to be the captain of the white-ball team too. He said a few things that showed he was looking for the captaincy,” Sridhar revealed the detail in his new book, ‘Coaching Beyond- My days with the Indian cricket team’, which is written by R Kaushik.
Sridhar also revealed how the then India head coach Ravi Shastri intervened into the matter, and told Kohli to wait for Dhoni to hand him the white-ball mantle.
“One night, Ravi phoned him and said, “Look, Virat, MS handed you the red-ball leadership.” You must show him respect. When the moment is perfect, he will also deliver it to you in limited-overs cricket. If you don’t respect him today, your squad won’t respect you when you’re captain tomorrow. Regardless matter what is happening, appreciate him right now. You don’t have to follow it; it will come to you, “Added he.
Notably, Kohli became India’s all-format captain in 2017. Not only did Dhoni handed him the mantle, but also played under Kohli’s captaincy for a few years.
Dhoni eventually announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020.
