Published 09:55 IST, December 29th 2019
Ishant Sharma reveals the difference between King Kohli & Thala Dhoni's captaincy
Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma spilled the beans on the difference between two mammoth Indian skippers - Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni & their captaincy style
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Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma spilled the beans on the difference between two mammoth Indian skippers who have taken Indian cricket to the next level - Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. 31-year-old Ishant Sharma, like Virat Kohli, spent many years under the captaincy of Captain Cool MS Dhoni and now continues to thrive in the team under the leadership of King Kohli. The difference in the style of Kohli and Dhoni's captaincy is very evident as the former follows an aggressive approach while the latter is the definition of calm, cool and composed. Ishant Sharma, who has go on to become a senior bowler in the team, revealed what was different now and back then during Dhoni's tenure as skipper.
Ishant Sharma on how Kohli & Dhoni are different
Speaking to a news daily, Ishant Sharma pointed out that during Dhoni's tenure the bowlers were vastly inexperienced along with the fact that the pool of bowlers who were being rotated was big. With regard to the sheer size of the pool, Ishant Sharma said that there was a lack of communication between bowlers, which has now ceased under Kohli's captaincy as the size of the pool has been reduced to three or four bowlers. Kohli himself has credited his bowlers on many occasion for communicating among themselves and bring success collectively as a unit.
However, Ishant Sharma also pointed out that by the time Kohli took over the reins of the team, most of the bowlers were experienced an, in turn, allowed them to sync well as a side. Ishant Sharma has played 96 Tests for India, picking up 292 wickets in his international career. Ishant's transition to a senior bowler has been a journey of diverse experiences, from being a star across all formats to settling down as a Test bowler and from beginning his career under Rahul Dravid to continue playing today under Virat Kohli.
Ganguly 'sure' MS has spoken to Kohli & selectors
Ganguly, a decorated captain himself, was full of praise for the 38-year-old two-time World Cup-winning skipper, and said it will be difficult to get a player of Dhoni's calibre. "It's his (Dhoni) decision what he wants to do, but I don't know. I haven't spoken to him, but he's a champion, he's been an absolute champion in Indian cricket." On the seasoned wicketkeeper-batsman, who led India to title wins in the inaugural World T20 in South Africa in 2007 and the ODI World Cup at home in 2011, Ganguly further said, "You won't get another M S Dhoni very, very soon, but what he does -- whether he wants to play, whether he doesn't want to play, is up to him."
09:55 IST, December 29th 2019