You will always be my captain Dhoni bhai: Virat Kohli salutes MS Dhoni - the leader

New Delhi, Jan 6: India's Test skipper Virat Kohli on Friday (Jan 6) hailed Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who resigned as India's limited overs skipper, saying he will always be his (Kohli's) captain.

Dhoni steps down; Sachin on Dhoni decision; Twitter reactions

Kohli took to Twitter to thank MS Dhoni for being a leader a youngster wants to have.

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

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

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 6, 2017

Kohli debuted under the leadership of Dhoni and succeeded the latter as the Test captain of the Indian side. Ever since Kohli took over Test Team's reigns, India have never looked back and helped the side become No. 1 in Tests.

Dhoni shocked the cricketing fraternity and fans with his sudden decision to step down as the skipper of India's ODI and T20I skipper on Wednesday (Jan 4).

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Dhoni's decision to step down from ODI and T20I leadership.

Although Dhoni has stepped down as captain of the limited overs team, he has made himself available to play under a new captain, which should be Kohli, and this has been conveyed to the selectors who, thus, will choose him over other claimants.

The 35-year-old Dhoni is India's most successful captain in all three formats. He retired from Test cricket in December 2014. He will be available for selection as a player in the limited overs format.

Dhoni is the only captain in history to have won all three International Cricket Council's (ICC) global trophies - World Twenty20 (2007), World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013). Under his leadership, India became the number one side in the world in ICC Test Rankings.

Dhoni is India's most successful captain in all 3 formats - Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He led India in 60 Tests with 27 wins. In ODIs, he was at the helm for 199 matches, winning 110 and losing 74 (4 tied and 11 no results). In 72 T20Is as captain, he won 42 and lost 28 (2 no results).

Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Dhoni on a successful captaincy career. Tendulkar said it was a day to "celebrate" and "respect" Dhoni.

OneIndia News