'MSD Groomed Bowlers, and Left Complete Package With Virat Kohli': Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma lifts Virat Kohli [X.com]
Apart from bringing international glory, former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played a huge part in lifting Indian cricket to unforeseen heights and laying down a firm platform for future captains like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to build upon.
Pacer Ishant Sharma, who currently finds himself away from national contention, spoke about the difference in Dhoni and Kohli's captaincy skills as a leader.
Speaking to Jio Cinema, the 34-year-old played the majority of his cricket with Dhoni and Kohli as skippers and said how the former groomed new bowlers and the latter reaped the benefits of complete products.
Here's what Sharma said
"When Virat Kohli was captain, bowling was complete. When we were playing under Mahi bhai, we were in a transition phase. At that time, Shami and Umesh were new, and only I was there. Everyone else would rotate. Bhuvi was also new. There is no match for Mahi bhai as a communicator.
But, what he did was groom the bowlers and leave them with Virat. Shami and Umesh, over time, became different bowlers, and then, Jasprit came in. So, he got a complete package."
While the bowling stocks grew during Dhoni's tenure as captain, the bowlers really made their mark under Kohli's leadership, with wins in England and Australia.
Sharma, who played his 100th Test under Kohli, further stated how the latter would chalk out specific plans with each bowler and give then defined roles.
"First thing, he was aggressive. If you're bowling with the new ball, you can concede 25 runs in five overs as long as you take two wickets. The important thing was that he gave everyone defined roles,"
The 105-Test-old player last featured in whites for India in 2021 has claimed 311 red-ball wickets. The Delhi-born has also played 80 ODIs and 14 T20Is, picking up 123 scalps.
 "Vishal Mehra")
