MS Dhoni Vs Virat Kohli - Who Is The Best Captain?

Table of content:

• About MS Dhoni
• AboutVirat Kohli
• Captaincy in Tests
• Captaincy in ODI
• Captaincy in T20Is
• MS Dhoni vs Virat Batting Statistics

There has been quite a lot of debate, especially among the people of the recent generation, about “Who Is Better, Captain Kohli or Dhoni”. Both are great batsmen. Virat Kohli is considered to be one of the most prolific run-scorers of all time across all three formats. On the other hand, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, famously known as “Captain Cool”, is admired as the best finisher in the game. If we look at the batting statistics, then Virat Kohli undoubtedly has the upper hand in the comparison, but captaincy is a different ball game altogether.

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About MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is hailed as the greatest finisher in cricket history. He is the only captain who has led his team to win all formats of the ICC tournaments in limited-overs cricket. MSD has scored more than 15000 runs across all three formats and is known for his game-finishing abilities. India has achieved new highs during his captaincy. He has successfully pulled the Indian Cricket Team up on many occasions to a respectable position after the top-order collapse. Captain cool has also led his team to win the IPL 4 times. Currently, he has taken retirement from international cricket but continues playing IPL. In 2018, he was honored with the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Indian cricket.

About Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is the former captain of the Indian national cricket team. He is renowned as the "King of Cricket" and is considered one of the finest batsmen in the world. Kohli is known as a run machine who rules the bowlers in almost every format of the game. In ODIs, he is called the ‘Chase Master’ for his chasing ability while batting second. Until now, Kohli has scored 70 centuries in international cricket and is better known for his aggressive style of playing. The former captain was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017.

Now, let’s find the answer to the most debated question, Dhoni Vs Kohli - Who is the better captain?

Captaincy in Tests

	MS Dhoni	Virat Kohli
Match	60	68
Wins	27	40
Loss	18	17
Draw	15	11
Win%	45	58.82

If we see the stats, we can see that Kohli is clearly ahead of MS Dhoni in test captaincy. Kohli led India to the final of the ICC World Test Championship. Dhoni got most of his wins at home, but the Kohli-led Indian team has won many test matches outside India. But we shouldn’t forget that Kohli got India’s best-ever pace bowling attack like Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, who led Team India to victory on foreign soil.

Captaincy in ODI

	MS Dhoni	Virat Kohli
Match	200	95
Wins	110	65
Loss	74	27
Tied	5	1
No Result	11	2
Win%	59.5	70.43

If we look at the stats, we will perceive that Virat Kohli is a better captain than MS Dhoni in ODIs also. But let’s not forget about the wins led by Dhoni in the ICC World Cup 2011 and the Champions Trophy 2013. In contrast, Virat hasn’t won any ICC tournament. Dhoni built the team from the scratch after the 2007 world cup failure, which wasn’t the case for Kohli. When Virat Kohli took over the captaincy baton from MSD, he got a well-established team. So, considering it all, we can say Dhoni has the upper hand in this comparison.

Captaincy in T20Is

	MS Dhoni	Virat Kohli
Match	72	50
Wins	41	30
Loss	28	16
Tied	1	2
No Result	2	2
Win%	59.2	64.58

Here also, though Virat Kohli has a slightly higher percentage of wins, the T20 world cup triumph in its inaugural edition in 2007 adds a huge mark in MS Dhoni’s T20 captaincy record. Despite being in a challenging situation facing a new format with a new team, MS Dhoni pulled it off with his presence of mind. So clearly, MS Dhoni is a better T20 captain than Kohli. In fact, he is the best T20 captain in Indian cricket history.

So, who is the best captain, Virat or Dhoni?

Considering all parameters, it can be said that Dhoni has been the most successful captain in limited-overs cricket. On the contrary, Virat Kohli has been more successful in Test cricket. Overall, we can say that Dhoni is a better captain than Kohli as Kohli doesn’t possess any ICC trophy in his cabinet.

MS Dhoni vs Virat Batting Statistics

Let’s compare the format-wise overall stats:

MS Dhoni vs Virat in Test Cricket

The oldest format of cricket tests a batter in all possible ways. It tests determination, technique, and courage. Let’s look at the stats-

	MS Dhoni	Virat Kohli
Matches	90	102
Innings	144	173
Runs	4876	8074
Average	38.09	49.53
Hundreds	6	27
Fifties	33	28
Best	224	254*

The numbers of Virat Kohli justify why he is rated so high in test cricket. He is very consistent. On the other hand, MS Dhoni doesn't have a very good record in test cricket.

MS Dhoni vs Virat in ODIs

In a 50-over cricket format, their stats are neck to neck.

	MS Dhoni	Virat Kohli
Matches	350	260
Innings	297	251
Runs	10773	12311
Average	50.58	58.07
Strike Rate	87.56	92.92
Hundreds	10	43
Double Hundreds	0	0
Fifties	73	64
Best	183*	183

If you go by stats, then both the batters have a fantastic record in the ODIs. But one shouldn’t forget that Dhoni bats in the middle order and doesn’t get many chances to bat. Generally, he bats at the dying moments of an innings. On the other hand, Virat Kohli bats at number 3 and has an unmatchable record while chasing, making him renowned as ‘The Chase Master’. So, both batsmen are best at their respective roles and have several records on their names. Both batters are good and can destroy opponents single-handedly on their good day.

MS Dhoni vs Virat in T20Is

In the shortest format of the game, both the batters have an excellent record.

Stat	MS Dhoni	Virat Kohli
Matches	98	97
Innings	85	89
Runs	1617	3296
Average	37.6	51.5
Strike Rate	126.13	137.68
Hundreds	0	0
Fifties	2	30
Best	56	94*

According to the stats, Virat Kohli has the upper hand in T20Is. But Dhoni bats in the middle order and doesn’t get many chances to bat. He mostly comes in a situation when one has to throw his bat at every ball. So, it won’t be fair to compare them.

So, who is the better batsman among Dhoni and Kohli?

If we look closely at the stats and consider all the formats and parameters, one can clearly say that Virat Kohli is a better batsman than Dhoni. King Kohli is the most prolific run-getter in recent times, but we shouldn’t compare these two legends. Both are best in their respective roles and have played flawlessly in the Indian Cricket Team.

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