A comparison of Dhoni and Kohli

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At the very outset, I would like to state that these are my personal opinions and that I am not privy to what happens within the respective camps of CSK and RCB. Moreover, I do not know either MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli on a personal level even though I have had the honour of interacting with the former when he was in Singapore recently.

Now that this is out of the way, here is an analysis of the contrasting styles of Virat and MS as skippers in the IPL and some theories as to why they have achieved the results that they have over the years.

LEADERSHIP STYLES

Most leaders,especially the ones with strong personalities,have intentionally or otherwise, moulded the team in their own image and MS and Virat are no different as both have strong and charismatic personas.

However, with Dhoni's case, it appears that he has found just the right balance between control and freedom in that while everyone knows that he is in charge, he is almost always in the background and he allows players to do their thing and trusts and empowers them.

Kohli , on the other hand, is extremely expressive and intense and while that spurs him to achieve greatness on the personal front and there is no doubt that he is one of the best ever and will shatter most if not all batting records across formats, he probably finds it hard to empathize or relate to those who may not share similar personality traits and/or cricket skills.

TEAM COMPOSITION

While Chennai Super Kings on paper has probably got the oldest squad in the tournament, what they probably lack in fitness, they more than make up for it with experience and the fact that they have won 3 out of 4 matches with each match having a different player step up shows that their team probably has their roles well defined and there is harmony within the ranks despite Dhoni personally struggling in a few games as his big hitting prowess is on the wane and quite a few of the squad members being unavailable at various junctures due to injury or other personal issues.

Moreover, despite them picking a squad heavy on spin keeping in mind the nature of the Chennai pitch, their plans had to change as Chennai was barred from hosting games due to political issues and CSK had to relocate to Pune (though Dhoni had represented the Pune franchise for the last 2 years so that may have helped too), they have STILL found a way to adapt and work around their limitations.

Royal Challengers Bangalore on the other hand always seems to give the impression that they are a team comprising of great players rather than a great team as they seem too reliant on the top 4 of Mccullum, De Kock, Virat and de Villiers to bail them out and if that fails, they don't really have a PLAN B as the middle order hasn't got the experience, confidence nor game time at present.

While Virat did state prior to the start of the IPL that this RCB is one of the most balanced, this theory is being put to the test and their balance (or the lack of it) is being exposed this season.

TACTICAL DECISIONS

MSD has made it abundantly clear that limited overs cricket is where he really comes into his own as the resources are finite and Dhoni thrives on control.

Moreover, being a keeper, he has a good understanding of the pitch, bowling as well as the opposition batters and hence can give accurate and relevant information to the bowlers something that Virat himself leans on a lot when he is playing for India alongside MS.

RCB however don't seem to have done their homework well as they have ignored data which has become a key part of decision making.

Eg: Umesh Yadav's fourth overs have gone at around 15 runs in the games that he has played this season especially when he bowls at the death hence it would be better if he bowls out by the first 10 yet he has been given the role on quite a few occasions.

Moreover, Narine is known to thrive against spin in the power play but instead of peppering him with short and sharp stuff,he was fed with spin and the end result was an 18 ball 50 that blew RCB away.

INTANGIBLES

Despite CSK being banned for 2 years, they never lost out on the goodwill and support from their fan base and arguably it has grown even stronger with MS Dhoni gaining a status that is usually reserved only for movie stars and politicians.

Dhoni,in a rare display of emotion,was holding back tears trying to express what the franchise and the city of Chennai meant to him and the locals responded by thronging in the thousands to even watch CSK play practice games.

RCB under Virat constantly project the image of being more style than substance and given Virat's fiery and abrasive nature, crowds respect his talent, drive, passion and achievements but probably don't revere/worship him in the way they would an MSD or Sachin.

THE AUTHOR IS THE CURRENT CAPTAIN OF THE SINGAPORE CRICKET TEAM