10 Players MS Dhoni backed but Virat Kohli didn't in Tests

Indian cricket team has taken giant strides in the past few years and no one deserves more credit than Virat Kohli. The skipper has led the side from the front and took India to numerous wins across formats. He scored runs consistently and piled up a mountain of runs. At the same time, his leadership skills have also been lauded by many.

Notably, Kohli took the reins of the Indian team from none other than MS Dhoni. Hence, he had massive boots to fill. It’s no secret that the current Indian skipper has great admiration for his predecessor. Kohli has never missed out on the opportunity of praising the talismanic wicketkeeper-batsman. He even credits Dhoni for his success at the highest level.

Although Kohli looks up to the Ranchi-born cricketer, his captaincy style is way different from him. The 32-year-old follows an aggressive approach with winning matches being his only priority. Like any other captain, Kohli also has his set of preferred players. In fact, there also have been many players who were backed by Dhoni and not Kohli. We’ll have a look at them

Let's look at the 10 Players MS Dhoni backed but Virat Kohli didn’t in Tests

10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

One of the finest swing bowlers going around, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has proved his mettle across all three formats in Team India colours. Unlike many of his contemporaries, the right-arm pacer isn’t known for setting the speed gun on fire. However, he relies on his swing and accuracy to get the better of the batters.

Bhuvneshwar started his Test career under MS Dhoni in 2013 and didn’t take long in making a mark. He constantly troubled batters with his swinging deliveries and impressed one and all. The 2014 tour of England was his breakthrough series. He took two five-wicket hauls in five Tests alongside scoring three half-centuries.

While the fast bowler’s place in the Test team seemed cemented, he didn’t get regular chances under Kohli. Bhuvneshwar’s persistent injuries also played a part in keeping him away from red-ball cricket. However, the pacer wasn’t picked even when he was fit. The 31-year-old played his last match in January 2018 against South Africa.