Sourav Ganguly weighs in on MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli captaincy debate

Mumbai: A day after former India opener Aakash Chopra opined that MS Dhoni can play under Virat Kohli’s leadership, ex-India skipper Sourav Ganguly has said that Kohli’s success as Test skipper has put Dhoni under pressure.

Since the time Dhoni handed over Test captaincy to Kohli, India have won five Test series in a row. The Kohli-led unit has not lost a Test in their last 18 outings. While Dhoni, India’s World Cup-winning skipper, has continued to lead the side in ODIs and T20s, Kohli’s rapid rise as India’s Test skipper has led to calls of him replacing the Jharkhand maverick in the leadership role in the limited-overs cricket.

Ganguly felt that the ODI and T20 series will be crucial for Dhoni.

“While it is a justified question and I am sure Virat's Test success will put pressure on the selectors, I think Virat will have to wait (for some time). He will become the captain in ODIs too one day and it's just a matter of when. But the selectors will mull who they see as captain in the 2019 World Cup and then plan accordingly. I feel the (limited-overs) England series will be critical for Dhoni.” Ganguly told Aaj Tak when asked about the captaincy issue.

The ODI series between India and England will commence on January 15 next year after the visitors return to India following a Christmas break.