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Who is Best Dhoni or Virat?

9 min
Dhoni vs Virat

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni- Test, ODI, T20, and IPL Stats. Find out who's the best player?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli are two Indian players whose fans are spread all over the world. These two players have never been deprived of the love of their fans. Virat Kohli, who is given the title of the best batsman in the world, is famous for his excellent batting and stylish presence on the field. Virat has broken many records with the bat so far. He has been scoring runs regularly in every format of cricket. However, he has not only been praised as a batsman, but also for leading the team while being the captain of the Indian team.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, on the other hand, is famous for managing his team with a cool and calm head on the field. 'Captain Cool' Dhoni is given the title of one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen of all time in the world and the best finisher in limited-overs cricket. Mahi's success as a captain is also eye-catching because under his leadership, India won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. So now the question arises, who is better, Virat or Dhoni? To get the answer, we have to analyse their cricketing career deeply.

Comparison Factors

  • Runs: The no. of runs scored is a common factor to decide who is best Dhoni or Virat Kohli. Although both the players batted at a different spot, the no. of runs determines who is best Virat or Dhoni.
  • Strike Rate: The strike rate of both players also determines who is best who is best Dhoni or Virat. Both players can be compared on the basis of their strike rates across formats.
  • Hundreds: Both players have scored several match-winning hundreds throughout their careers. The no. of centuries is an excellent comparison factor who is best Virat or Dhoni.
  • Fifties: Just like the no. of centuries, the no. of fifties can also determine who is the better of the two players. Both of them have scored plenty of eye-catching half-centuries throughout their careers.
  • Overseas Centuries: While all the hundreds are important, there is a different perspective to the overseas centuries as they are scored away from home. It is a great factor to determine who is best Dhoni or Virat.
  • IPL Trophies: Both Dhoni and Kohli are IPL legends and the no. of trophies can help determine who is the best among the two of them. Clearly, Dhoni has an edge over Kohli in this aspect.
  • Captaincy Records: Both MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have led the national team quite a few times. This factor will help to determine their leadership skills.

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Virat Kohli made his Test debut against the West Indies on June 20, 2011. Since then, his batting style and his mentality to dominate against bowlers have taken Virat to another level. In the Test arena, Virat Kohli has scored 9230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85. He has 30 centuries in this format. In 302 ODIs, Virat Kohli has garnered 14,181 runs with an average of 57.88. In the T20, he has bagged 4188 runs in 125 matches. But he has failed to win any IPL trophy with RCB

On the other hand, Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his Test debut against Sri Lanka on December 2, 2005. Although Dhoni is especially famous for finishing matches in ODI cricket, his contribution in Tests is undeniable. He has scored 4876 runs in 90 Tests for the country. Along with 6 centuries, there are 33 half-centuries in this format. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is equally successful in ODIs. In the 350 matches he has played in this format, he has accumulated 10733 runs with an average of 50.57. In the T20s, MS Dhoni has scored 1617 runs in 98 matches at an average of 36.70.

PlayersRunsOverseas CenturyHundredsFiftiesIPL trophies
Virat Kohli27,59968821430
MS Dhoni17,2660161085

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Dhoni or Virat, Who is the Best?

In the modern era, the names of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni stand out among the successful captains and players of the Indian team. Both the captains took the Indian team to new heights during their tenure. But not only as captains, but also as batsmen, these two have taken India to new heights. Honestly, it is quite difficult to judge who is ahead of whom among these two. However, if Virat is a bit on the higher side as a batsman, Dhoni will get higher marks as a captain.

Runs

Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, both of these players, have brought a lot of success to India as batsmen. These two great players have made the country's batting mature on foreign soil. Be it Test, ODI, or T20, these two players have scorched the bat in all formats of cricket. And not only for the country, but also in the IPL, Virat and Dhoni have been extremely successful for their teams. Virat has always played a leading role with the bat for RCB, and Dhoni for CSK.

Players NameVirat KohliMS Dhoni
Test9,2304,876
ODI14,18110,773
T20I4,1881,617
IPL8,4475,383

Hundreds

Virat Kohli has now surpassed everyone in terms of scoring centuries. Only master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him. His number of centuries in international cricket is 82. He has scored 8 centuries for RCB in the IPL. On the other hand, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's number of centuries in international cricket is 16. However, all his centuries have come on Asian soil. However, he has not scored a century in the IPL.

HundredsVirat KohliMS Dhoni
Test306
ODI5110
T2010
IPL80

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Overseas Centuries

In terms of overseas centuries, Virat Kohli is far ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In fact, Virat Kohli has stamped his superiority wherever he has played in the world. He has scored 34 centuries in overseas conditions. On the other hand, none of MS Dhoni's 16 centuries have been in overseas conditions. So in this case, King Virat is far ahead, leaving Mahi behind.

PlayersVirat KohliMS Dhoni
Overseas Century340

Fifties

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are breathing down each other's necks when it comes to half-centuries. Virat Kohli has 143 half-centuries in international cricket, while MS Dhoni has 108 in this arena. Both these players have always played a big role in helping their teams win matches, and their half-centuries have become hugely important at that time. The picture is similar in the IPL. Virat has scored 50 half-centuries for RCB. On the other hand, Dhoni has 24 half-centuries for Chennai Super Kings.

FiftiesVirat KohliMS Dhoni
Test3133
ODI7473
T20382
IPL6124

Strike Rate

In modern cricket, quick runs are a big factor. Especially when chasing runs, hitting big shots as soon as you get to the crease is a special quality. Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni have always been big names in this regard in limited-overs cricket. Chase master Virat has a strike rate of 93.34 in ODI cricket. Along with this, he bats at a strike rate of 137.04 in T20 cricket. Dhoni's ODI strike rate is also eye-catching. He bats at a strike rate of 87.56 in this format. Mahi has a strike rate of 126.13 in T20 cricket.

Strike RateVirat KohliMS Dhoni
Test55.5759.11
ODI93.3487.56
T20137.04126.13
IPL132.31137.67

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Trophy won as Captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli are two of India's legendary captains. However, there are some differences between the captaincy of these two. Under Dhoni's captaincy, India has won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. However, under Virat's captaincy, the Indian team has performed well in Tests, winning 40 out of 60 matches. So Virat's average in this format is great. However, he is behind Dhoni as he has not been able to win any ICC trophy.

Win Percentage as Captain

Both MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have excellent win percentages as they led India to some incredible wins during their tenure. They are among the most successful captains in international cricket across formats. However, unlike Dhoni, Kohli was unable to win

Players

Trophies

Winning Percentage (%)

Virat Kohli

No titles under him, but took India to No. 1 ranking in Tests

63.38%

MS Dhoni

2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and 2013 Champions Trophy

53.61%

Captaincy Record

If we talk about the statistics of these two as captains, Dhoni has led India in 200 ODIs in which he has won 110 matches. During this, his win percentage has been 59.52. Kohli has led Team India in 89 matches and won 62 of them. Kohli's win percentage in ODIs has been 71.83. If we talk about Test matches, Dhoni won 27 matches out of 60, while Kohli has won 33 out of 55 matches so far.

As captainVirat KohliMS Dhoni
Total Matches213332
Matches Won135178
Matches Lost60120
Tied36
Drawn1115
Win Percentage (%)63.3853.61

Social Media Followers

Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are two celebrity cricketers in the arena of Indian cricket. Virat Kohli is, of course, the most followed celebrity on social media in India. Apart from this, he is the most popular cricketer on social media as a cricketer. On the other hand, the number of fans of Mahendra Singh Dhoni is also eye-popping. There is always a buzz in the Indian cricket community about these two players.

InstagramX (formerly Twitter)
Virat Kohli271 million followers

67.7 million

followers

MS Dhoni49.7 million followers

8.6 million

followers

Dhoni or Kohli?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli both are two legendary players and captains of India. As a player or as a captain, both have given a lot to the Indian cricket team. While the Indian team started getting appreciated all over the world under Dhoni's leadership, the Indian team reached the peak of success under Virat's captaincy. So choosing the best between Virat and Dhoni is a difficult task because it all depends on personal preference.

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Edited by- Ankit Kunwar
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