Irfan Pathan points out difference between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli era

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that the major difference between the captaincy styles of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli lies in what trait they instilled in the teams. While Dhoni was dubbed as “captain cool” for his ability to remain calm in some of the most tensed situations, Kohli has instilled an attitude in his team that is hard to match.

While oppositions always worried about what masterstroke Dhoni might pull out of his bag, with Kohli, the oppositions worry about not riling up the current Indian captain, as it often brings out his best.

Speaking in the latest episode of Star Sports’ Cricket Connected chat show, Pathan said: “In Dhoni’s era, we saw a calmness and in Virat Kohli’s era we saw aggression. You need both these qualities to be successful.”

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“A player, how he uses his calmness and his aggression to perform better, we have seen in both the eras,” the former left-arm seamer further added.

“We have seen MS Dhoni come at the end and win us matches from difficult situations and we have seen Virat Kohli’s amazing record in Test cricket,” Pathan said.

“Going to Australia and beating them there. Their fast bowlers who always play aggressive cricket can dominate anyone, but Virat Kohli went there and dominated their bowlers in their own backyard both as a player and as a captain,” he further explained.

Meanwhile, Kohli will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore as captain in the upcoming season of Indian Premier League which kicks off from September 19th. Dhoni, on the other hand, will be leading Chennai Super Kings as he looks to win his 4th IPL title.