Virat Kohli : a shrewd strategist or a lucky successor

Let's take a look at the factors that have contributed to the two Indian captain's success or failures. Dhoni took charge of the Test team in 2008 when the then skipper Anil Kumble suffered an injury and had to miss out on the last Test of the Border-Gavaskar series at home and announced his retirement from Test cricket. The next Test of the series was the last of Sourav Ganguly while the likes of VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Virender Sehwag continued to lend their services to the Indian team although being in the twilight of their careers.  

The departure of Kumble and inconsistency of Harbhajan Singh left India without seasoned spinners who earlier played a pivotal role in India's success at home and away. Meanwhile, the Indian middle-order was thrown into a frenzy with the averages of veterans VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar deteriorating with every series while then newcomer Virat Kohli was still finding his feet in the longest format of the game. Therefore, Dhoni was handed a team that was going through a huge transition of sorts but the shortcomings did not stop the Ranchi lad from leading India to the top of the Test team rankings in 2009. However, Dhoni's remarkable achievement was overshadowed when India lost eight consecutive matches overseas during the 2011/12 period.

On the other hand, when Kohli was handed over the reins of the team on December 30th, 2014 in the aftermath of Dhoni's retirement, he had a well-balanced team at his disposal and plenty of options to choose from. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, who jointly topped the Test bowler rankings in March this year, have spearheaded India's bowling attack at home and around the World. Jadeja made his debut in the Indian team in December 2012 when he was considered a tailor-made player for the shorter formats of the game. However, Dhoni's undying belief in the Saurashtra all-rounder helped Jadeja become India's most lethal bowling entity and world's best all-rounder in the world.

India was dangerously short of pace bowling during 2011-12 when Zaheer Khan was on the decline while Umesh Yadav and R. Vinay Kumar were still new to the format which hurt India's chances of being successful on the seam-friendly pitches of England and Australia. However, it has all changed as the likes of Bhuvenshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav, all of whom made a debut under Dhoni, have been sensational in the red-ball format.

When Kohli was adjudged by the BCCI to succeed Dhoni he was blessed with the perfect Indian team with all the players playing to their potential and justifying captain's decision with their performances. On the other hand, Dhoni was burdened with the responsibility of rebuilding the Indian squad after the then regulars bid farewell to the world of cricket. Dhoni still led the men in blue to remarkable successes setting up a strong platform for Kohli to take over which the Delhi lad has utilized to the fullest.