Kapil Dev backs MS Dhoni to continue leading India in limited overs cricket

Kapil Dev refused to compare captaincy of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli stating both are different individuals.

New Delhi: Just like every other cricketing great nearing the end of his playing days, questions are being raised on when will MS Dhoni hand over team India's bandwagon into the hands of Virat Kohli for all three formats. India's 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, however, feels that limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a lot of experience and should continue to lead the side as long as he is fit for the job.

With Kohli doing extremely well as Test captain, there have been whispers from time to time that he should be handed over the responsibility of leading the side in all three formats and lead the side in the 2017 ICC Champions trophy.

READ: Virender Sehwag advocates captaincy for all three formats for Virat Kohli

"I think the answer people should look for is are we ready to ask Dhoni to take a back seat. It is more important. I think if he is good enough he should carry on. When the time will come Dhoni may quit all three formats," Kapil said.

"But I think at the moment it is very important Dhoni is doing a good job. I think he has enough experience and he should continue."

Asked to compare Dhoni and Kohli as captains, Kapil said: "It is too early to answer that and again the two individuals are different and every individual is different. Kohli is very expressive, while Dhoni is calm and quite. I think it is very difficult to compare because both have different teams and different attitude.

"Things have changed. Tomorrow you may ask can you compare these two with Sourav Ganguly as captain. So, every captain brings in his own input and aggression and motivation but it all depends on how you use these things with your team for best results. That is captaincy. It is not that you have to be aggressive and if you are not aggressive still you win the match, it is good enough," Kapil added.

With Dhoni all set to be back leading India for T20Is and ODIs against England, it would rather be a test of depth of his leadership skills and a hint of whether India should stick with the 35-year-old or part ways.

(With PTI inputs)