“Dhoni Was Flexible, Kohli Stuck to the Plan”- Ishant Sharma Reveals What Sets Dhoni and Kohli’s Leadership Apart

Champions Trophy winner and India’s veteran pacer Ishant Sharma recently appeared on Raj Shamani's YouTube channel, where he shared insights from his career. One important thing he talked about was how MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli led their teams. Having played for both legends, Ishant talked about how they each led and fought.

Ishant explained that MS Dhoni was always flexible, open to input from players when it came to game plans, while Virat Kohli tended to stick firmly to his tactical plan.

“Mahi bhai looked sober, but he would give a lot of advice on the field. There was a Champions Trophy match during the rain, and everyone thought the match would be washed out. But he said the match would happen, it would be short, and he doesn’t think God will win us the match. God won’t do anything; you have to do things on your own. He would say you believe in God but trust in yourself,” Ishant recalled.

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Dhoni's On-Field Advice and Beliefs

He further highlighted Dhoni’s love for experimenting on the field, especially with field placements, whereas Kohli focused on the fundamentals of the game and switched tactics based on the situation.

“Mahi bhai was a captain who loved doing things on the field; he liked that. Decisions would be based on the game situation. It wasn’t like that with Virat — there was a basic plan, and then we would see how it goes.”

Dhoni's Unique Learning Philosophy

Unlike others who often praise Dhoni’s calmness, Ishant revealed that Dhoni wasn’t particularly focused on meetings, preferring players to learn from their mistakes.

“On the field, we would review things, but Mahi bhai wasn’t much into meetings. He played cricket in his own way, and sometimes nobody would understand the meetings. His strategy was simple: you learn only if you make mistakes. He would say, if you make a mistake, then how long it takes for you to repeat the same mistake — that’s consistency for you,” Ishant added.

Ishant Sharma has taken over 300 wickets across 97 Test matches and 125 wickets in 90 ODIs, along with 29 wickets in 26 T20Is. A standout moment in his career was his crucial 2/36 performance in the 2013 Champions Trophy final, which helped India clinch the title.

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