Is the Dhoni VS Kohli thing for real? I have always liked Dhoni — both his batting style and his flair for captaincy. My interest in cricket is tied firmly to his rise and fall. When he became more involved with leadership responsibilities, he started scoring less. Where Dhoni is composed, Kohli is more effervescent. Both lead from the front, but one shields the team and the other attacks on behalf of the team.
All sports warrant a certain amount of aggression, but I find that the amount of aggression shown by Kohli is a bit over-the-top. What’s more, they both play under each other from time to time. It's unique and refreshing to see them co-existing. Nature prefers stability at the end of the day. Kohli carries a lot of extra energy. While Dhoni has equilibrium, Kohli has disruption, and the nation loves playing spectator to it. Both of them are effectively doing the same job, in different formats of the game.
No matter how many versions we come up with, at the end of the day, the task is almost the same. Will Dhoni prevail? I don’t know. He seems to have gone recluse and accepted that his highs have already come and gone. Perhaps Kohli will prevail.
Captaincy requires a calm demeanor. Maybe he will tone down, maybe the team will tone up. Only time will tell. For now, let’s enjoy the helicopter shots. We might have only a few left.
The author is a tech enthusiast, interested in analysis and strategy
