Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are the two legends of Indian cricket and the superstars of the game. Virat Kohli is one of the best players of this generation, and MS Dhoni is known as the most successful captain of Indian cricket. When it comes to individual records, there is no comparison between Virat Kohli and other current players. Virat is far ahead of other players because of his consistency, and his records show that. Virat Kohli has won 10 ICC awards till now, which is the most by any player in cricket history.
When it comes to captaincy records, MS Dhoni is considered the most successful Indian captain. The fact is, Dhoni won all the major ICC tournaments as an Indian captain. Including the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, the 2011 ICC men’s ODI World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. But another fact is that MS Dhoni lost the most ICC tournaments as an Indian captain. MS Dhoni lost the 2009 T20 World Cup, the 2009 Champion Trophy, the 2012 T20 World Cup, the 2014 T20 World Cup, the 2015 ODI World Cup, and the 2016 T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli also has a good record as a captain of the Indian team but Kohli has not won any major ICC trophy as a captain. As a captain, lost the 2017 Champion Trophy in the final, the 2019 ODI World Cup in the semifinals, and the 2021 T20 World Cup in the group stage. As a captain, Kohli made Team India No. 1 in the ICC men’s Test cricket ranking for five consecutive years. There has been endless debate between the fans of both superstar players.
Both Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have different kinds of approaches and captaincy styles on the field. MS Dhoni is known for his cool and calm approach and tactical skills, and Virat Kohli is known for his aggressive approach and proactive captaincy on the field and leading from the front attitude. Both of the legendary players played their roles for the team. Let’s see the stats of both captains in different forms of the game.
Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni Captaincy Records in All Formats
Kohli vs Dhoni ODI

Captain | Win % in ODIs |
---|---|
MS Dhoni | 55.00% |
Virat Kohli | 68.42% |
In one-day international matches, MS Dhoni captained India in 200 matches, and from those, he registered 110 wins and 74 losses. 5 matches were completed as tied, and 11 matches ended with no results. MS Dhoni in 50-over format has a win percentage of 55.
Virat Kohli captained the national side in a 50-over format in 95 matches and won 65 matches. Virat lost 27 matches as a captain in ODI; in Virat’s captaincy, one match ended in a tie and two matches registered as no results. Virat Kohli has a win percentage of 68.42 in one-day international matches.
Virat surpassed Dhoni in terms of win percentage in ODI cricket, but Dhoni, as a captain, won the two big ICC events in 50-over format for India.
Kohli vs Dhoni T20I’S

Captain | Win % in T20Is |
---|---|
MS Dhoni | 56.94% |
Virat Kohli | 60.00% |
As captain in the shortest format of the game in international cricket, Kohli has a win percentage of 60.00 and MS Dhoni has a win percentage of 56.94. Dhoni captained India in 72 matches and won 41 matches and lost 28 matches; two matches ended as no result, and one game was completed as tied. Kohli as the leader of India in T20 international matches Won 30 matches out of 50 matches and lost only 16; 2 matches ended as tied and 2 as no results. Kohli has a high win percentage as Dhoni in T20 International, but Dhoni had a T20 World Cup trophy under his captaincy back in the inaugural edition of the 2007 T20 World Cup.
Kohli VS Dhoni Test

Captain | Win % in Tests |
---|---|
MS Dhoni | 45.00% |
Virat Kohli | 58.82% |
The toughest format of the game is also considered a true format of the game. Kohli led the India team to 40 matches wins, 17 matches losses, and drew 11 matches from 68 matches as a captain. Under Kohli’s captaincy, India lost only two test matches on home soil and also registered overseas victories. Kohli has a win percentage of 58.82 in the longest format of the game as a captain. MS Dhoni has a win percentage of 45 in Test cricket as an Indian captain. Dhoni registered 27 wins, 18 losses, and 15 draws from 60 matches as a captain. When Kohli gets the captaincy of the Indian team in test cricket, the Indian team is coming off four back-to-back series losses and is very low in the ICC Test Ranking. From that position, Kohli led team India to the No. 1 spot in the ICC men’s Test Ranking and also won the ICC Test Mace for 3 consecutive years.
Kohli vs Dhoni (Test, T20I’S, ODI’s)
Captain | Win % in International Matches |
---|---|
MS Dhoni | 53.61% |
Virat Kohli | 63.38% |
Overall, in all international matches, Kohli surpasses Dhoni in win percentage; Kohli has a win percentage of 63.38 and Dhoni has a win percentage of 53.61. Kohli captained India in 213 matches and registered 135 wins and 60 losses, with 3 matches tied and 11 draws. Dhoni, as Indian captain, won 178 matches and lost 120 matches out of 332 matches. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, six matches were tied and 15 ended in draws.
Kohli VS Dhoni IPL

MS Dhoni led the Chennai Super Kings to the Indian Premier League title record five times and has a phenomenal record as a captain in the toughest T20 league. Virat Kohli did not win any season of the Indian Premier League as a captain; he led RCB to the final in the 2016 IPL season. Let’s see the stats of both captains in the Indian Premier League.
Captain | Win % in IPL |
---|---|
MS Dhoni | 58.84% |
Virat Kohli | 46.15% |
MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant captain, played 205 matches and has a win percentage of 58.84. Dhoni, as a captain in the IPL, registered 122 wins and 82 losses; one match ended with no results. Kohli, the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise captain, has a win percentage of 46.15 and has won 64 matches and lost 69 matches. 3 matches ended as tied, and 4 matches registered as no results. In the Indian Premier League, MS Dhoni’s numbers and trophy-winning count are better than Virat Kohli’s.
Top Captaincy records by Dhoni and Kohli
1. Most Title as a Captain
MS Dhoni is the only captain to win all the limited-overs ICC events. MS Dhoni won the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champion Trophy in 2013 as an Indian captain.
2. Most Matches as a Captain in International Cricket
MS Dhoni, as an Indian captain, played 332 matches, including Test, ODI, and T20I’s, which is the highest by any captain in international cricket. From those 332 matches, Dhoni won 178 matches and lost 126 matches; six matches were tied and 15 matches were completed as draws. Dhoni, as a captain in international cricket, has a win percentage of 53.61.
3. Most Test Matches Won as Indian Captain
Virat Kohli, as an Indian test captain, won the ICC Test Mace in 2017 for being the No. 1 team in the ICC Test Ranking, and Kohli retained it for the consecutive 3 years in 2018 and 2019 which is most by any Indian captain. However, due to the inception of the ICC test championship in 2019, test mace was not awarded in 2020–2021, but India finished at the top of the ICC test championship cycle in the 2019–2021.
4. Most Matches as a Captain in ODI for India
MS Dhoni captained the Indian team in 200 matches in one-day international cricket. Dhoni holds the record for the most matches as an Indian captain.
5. Most Matches as a Captain in T20I for India
MS Dhoni led the Indian team in T20 international matches in 72 games, which is the most by any Indian captain in T20I’s.
6. Most Matches as a Captain in Test for India
Virat Kohli holds the record for most matches as a captain for India in test cricket. Kohli captained the Indian team in 68 matches in the longest format of the game.
7. Most Matches as a Captain in IPL
As a captain in the Indian Premier League most number of matches played by MS Dhoni. Dhoni is the only captain to lead the team in 226 IPL matches. Dhoni has captained two franchises which are the Chennai Super Kings and the Rising Pune Supergiant.
8. Most Win as a Captain in ODI for India
110 matches were won by MS Dhoni as an Indian captain in one-day international matches, which is the most by any Indian captain. He has won the second-most matches as a captain in ODI matches. Ricky Ponting won the most 165 matches as a captain in ODI’s.
9. Most Win as a Captain in T20I for India
In the shortest format of the game for India, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma jointly hold the most number of wins as captains in T20I’s. MS Dhoni from 72 matches won 41 matches in T20I’s, and Rohit Sharma from 54 matches won 41 matches as an Indian captain in T20I’s.
10. Most Win as a Captain in Test for India
40 test matches India won under Virat Kohli’s leadership in the toughest format of the game. Virat registered the most wins in Test matches by an Indian captain in just 68 matches.
11. Most Win as a Captain in IPL
Five-time Indian Premier League-winning captain MS Dhoni won the most matches by a captain in IPL. Dhoni won 133 matches from 226 IPL matches and became the first captain to register 100 or more wins in the IPL.
12. Most Matches Lost as a Captain in IPL
MS Dhoni has an unwanted record in his long career as an IPL captain. Dhoni lost 91 matches as a captain in the IPL. This is the highest number of matches lost by any captain in the IPL.
13. Second Most Matches Lost as a Captain in ODI for India
74 is the second most matches lost by an Indian captain in a one-day international match. MS Dhoni holds this unwanted record of ODI cricket as a captain. Dhoni also registered an unwanted record as a captain in ODI’s series lost against Bangladesh and became the first Indian captain to lose a series against Bangladesh.
14. Most Matches Lost as a Captain in T20I’S for India
MS Dhoni, as an Indian captain, lost the most number of matches in the T20I’s. Dhoni, in T20 international matches, registered 28 losses as a captain.
15. Most Matches Lost as a Captain in Test for India
MS Dhoni also holds the record for the most number of test matches lost as a captain of India. During MS Dhoni’s captaincy period, India lost 18 test matches; under Dhoni’s captaincy India also lost four consecutive test series.