In A Heartfelt Message To MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli Tells Him 'You'll Always Be My Captain'

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He may be in pole position to take over the reigns of captaincy in the ODI and T20s for India, but Virat Kohi isn't taking on that bastion without giving due credit to outgoing skipper MS Dhoni. Kohli, in sublime form and was touted as India captain in all formats of the game once Dhoni stepped down from the role. With less than 10 days for Kohli to formally take over the captaincy on the field in Pune in the first ODI against England, the current Test captain has wished Dhoni a heartfelt greeting of gratitude.

Thanks for always being the leader a youngster wants to have around him. You'll always be my captain @msdhoni Bhai ????

¡ª Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 6, 2017

Dhoni has always been supportive of Kohli's stylish batting and has backed him to do well when the chips are down. The two have together taken India to many famous wins in both limited-overs formats.

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For the record, Kohli played 180 limited-overs matches under Dhoni, 138 ODIs and 42 T20Is. Kohli averaged over 50 in both the formats - 50.91 in ODIs and 57 in T20s. Plus, Kohli also recorded 19 ODI hundreds while Dhoni was captain of the side - which is most hundreds scored by any player Dhoni's captaincy.

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Even though Dhoni will continue to play ODIs and T20s as a player for India, it will be interesting to see the camaraderie between the two now. Many feel, with the load of captaincy off his shoulders, Dhoni might just excel as a player and that could Indian limited-overs team to greater heights.

But for now, its time to thank MS Dhoni the captain and wish Kohli all the best as a full-time captain.