Virat Kohli cannot be another MS Dhoni, claims Jonty Rhodes

Former South African cricketer and current fielding coach of the Mumbai Indians, in a recent detailed interview, stated that the captaincy of Virat Kohli cannot be compared to that of MS Dhoni’s, just like India cannot produce another Sachin Tendulkar. He made the statement while hailing praises for the current Mumbai Indians Rohit Sharma

Rhodes has been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians squad since its inception in 2008 and has observed Rohit Sharma from close quarters. He drew comparisons between the captaincy of Sharma with that of Jacques Kallis character on-field. He then claimed that Sharma’s style of captaincy is different to that of Virat Kohli as the latter is a bit aggressive on the field.

Rhodes on the difference between Virat and MS

“He(Rohit) is not a firebrand like Kohli, which you need to be sometimes. You’ve got to be yourself, you can’t be another Sachin Tendulkar. Virat cannot be another MSD (Mahendra Singh Dhoni); they are totally different kinds of characters, totally different personalities,” commented Jonty Rhodes according to Wisden India.

“And I think maybe that is one thing that differentiates ABD. He has been quite a nice guy and hasn’t done anything different whereas Dhoni has been a street-smart guy like nobody else I have seen,” added the Mumbai Indians fielding coach,” added the 48-year-old.

“Kohli is a bit fired up which is fine as long as the team wins. But my only concern is what if the team isn’t performing? Where will that energy of hi-fi-ing, fist pumping be let out? The team is taking wickets, they are winning, he is scoring runs – but what happens when that is not happening?” asked Rhodes.

The key with any successful captain is that you have to stay true to your personality. I have had Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje and Shaun Pollock as my captains; totally different captains and totally different men,” concluded the South African.