MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli: captaincy record comparison

The comparison of captaincy between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli has been one of the biggest debates in recent times. While there is no denying the fact that MS Dhoni has been the most successful skipper in Indian cricket with a plethora of wins and major rankings under his belt, Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has been one of the most successful and in-form cricketers in world cricket in recent times. So do your analysis and get ready to bet on the Dafabet app in the upcoming cricket world cup.

Let's see the captaincy record comparison between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli across all formats.

MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli Captaincy Record - Test

Virat Kohli surpassed MS Dhoni in Captaincy Record wins % for the Men in Blue in the longest format of the game. Virat Kohli dominated as a Test captain for India, under his captaincy the Indian Test team remained no.1 in the test rankings for 6 years. Under his captaincy Indian team won tests in SENA countries which also includes a series win in Australia.

While MS Dhoni announced his retirement from Test format on 30 December 2014 and stepped down as captain of T20Is and ODIs in 2017, Kohli quit the captaincy reins from all formats on 15th January earlier this year. Under Virat's captaincy, India’s test team got some world-class fast bowlers, like Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur etc. He knew the fast bowlers are a big factor in winning overseas test series.

MS Dhoni vs Kohli Captaincy Record - ODI

In the 50-over format, Virat’s win percentage eclipses that of MS Dhoni, although the latter has led India in more matches. Also, winning two ICC trophies gives Dhoni an obvious edge as a better leader. Under MSD India played two world cups & won one, while under Virat India couldn’t go beyond the semi-finals in 2019. MS Dhoni captained India in 2 world cups and a Champions trophy and out of which India won 1 ODI WC and a Champions trophy also under his captaincy India reached the semis of the 2015 ODI world cup. Virat also captained India in the world cup and Champions trophy but didn't cross the line at the end.

MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli Captaincy Win - T20I

Dhoni captained the Indian side on 72 occasions managing to Win 42 matches while losing 28 games. His major highlight was winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 as captain.

Kohli, on the contrary, captained the tricolor in 50 T20I games out of which India won 32 games and lost 16 matches. Under Virat's captaincy in the 2021 T20 WC, the Indian Cricket Team didn't qualify for the Knockouts stage.

MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli Captaincy Record - IPL

If we look at Dhoni vs Kohli’s Captaincy Record in IPL, MS Dhoni has been simply extraordinary. The Ranchi-based cricketer has skippered in 226 games in the IPL, winning 133 and losing 91 of them. He led Chennai Super Kings to 5 IPL titles [2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023].

In contrast to Dhoni, Kohli didn’t taste much success as IPL captain. He led the side in 143 games, winning 66 and losing 70. Also lost the chance to win the Trophy in 2016.