Since the day Gautam Gambhir has claimed that Sourav Ganguly gave a team of match-winners to MS Dhoni but Dhoni hasn&#8217;t given much to Virat Kohli, there has been a staunch debate around the same.

Gambhir had pointed out that Ganguly left behind a bunch of talented cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan who played a role in India&#8217;s 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup-winning campaign. However, Dhoni, according to Gambhir, ended his tenure without giving any quality players apart from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/jasprit-bumrah-and-jofra-archer-are-very-similar-faf-du-plessis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jasprit Bumrah</a>.

31 and 25 players debuted under Dhoni in One-day Internationals and Test cricket respectively. But how many of them have transformed themselves into match-winners? The influence of Dhoni has been such on Indian cricket that there is a whole era named after him but did his legacy benefit Virat Kohli?

Here are 5 players which MS Dhoni gave to Virat Kohli:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-414195" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravindra-Jadeja-1.jpg" alt="Ravindra Jadeja" width="640" height="399" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414195" class="wp-caption-text">Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best fielder India ever had. The Saurashtra stalwart came into limelight when he was a part of Rajasthan Royals which won the inaugural IPL in 2008. When he joined international cricket, he was preferred by Dhoni as he gave a finishing option at No. 6 or 7 and 10 confirmed overs.

Dhoni&#8217;s role in Jadeja&#8217;s success was very important; he was continuously giving instructions from behind the stumps which made Jadeja the impressive and consistent bowler he is today. When Jadeja entered <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-australia-test-rivalry-is-at-par-with-the-ashes-brett-lee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Test </a>cricket, he became a big thing right away as he had great control over the line and length and was a handy batsman as well. The left-hander can get quick runs and his energy in the field makes him one of the best fielders at the biggest level.

Jadeja under Dhoni and later under Kohli formed a formidable pair with Ashwin and this makes India&#8217;s defeat in home conditions almost impossible. He comes as a hard-hitting option at No. 6 or 7 in Tests and ODIs, which often comes very handy. His innings with Dhoni in the World Cup 2019 semi-finals was one of the finest displays of his batting ability. He is one of the best all-round options given by Dhoni to Virat.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-322713" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-century.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-322713" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Shikhar Dhawan came into the limelight when he was the highest scorer and Man of the Tournament in U19 World Cup in 2004. He made his ODI debut in 2010 but was dropped soon after that. His golden days arrived in 2013 when he scored a hundred on his Test debut that too in an ODI manner, justifying the sacking of Sehwag who used to bat in the same style.

He had a wonderful Champions Trophy 2013 and was adjudged Man of the Tournament as he scored 363 runs in the tournament. He made a wonderful opening pair with<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/he-can-hit-boundaries-with-such-grace-kamran-akmal-praises-rohit-sharma-for-his-power-hitting-and-temperament/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Rohit Sharma</a> and provides the roller coaster start to the innings when Rohit requires time to settle.

His hand-eye coordination and class on offside make him a combination of both Sehwag and Ganguly. When Virat was made captain of the team, Shikhar still had age on his side and his form was also in its prime. Shikhar, Rohit and Virat made a formidable top order which was very important as India had a comparatively an inexperienced middle order. If Dhoni wouldn&#8217;t have dropped Sehwag and Gambhir and trusted in Dhawan during his early days, India might have had a weaker top-order force at present.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-387685" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Hardik-Pandya-and-MS-Dhoni.jpg" alt="Mahendra Singh Dhon with Hardik Pandya" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-387685" class="wp-caption-text">Mahendra Singh Dhon with Hardik Pandya. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>

Hardik Pandya is probably the best T20 all-rounder ever played for India. He made both of his ODI and T20 debut under Dhoni and he has praised him a lot of times for his success as well. Pandya emerged from IPL while playing for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mumbai-indians-all-time-best-xi-in-ipl-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mumbai Indians</a> and was known for his ability to hit sixes at will and his pace bowling ability too.

India, who has been looking for a replacement of Kapil Dev since the day he retired, saw a light in the IPL performance of Pandya. Dhoni backed him to the most and even gave him death overs in his first ICC event&#8211; 2016 T20 World Cup. When Kohli became captain, Pandya was young and dynamic but already had enough experience of international cricket to make him a contender for a finisher, as well as a fifth bowler in limited-overs cricket.

Under Kohli, Pandya was drafted into the Test side as well. His innings in 2017 Champions Trophy final was a memorable knock for all the Indians, though he was not able to take India over the line against Pakistan. Pandya&#8217;s ability to provide 10 overs in ODIs and excellent hitting ability from the very first ball made him a permanent member of the team and his power-hitting makes him the next potential finisher for India.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-230736" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravichandran-Aswin.jpg" alt="Ravichandran Ashwin" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230736" class="wp-caption-text">Ravichandran Ashwin of India. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Ravichandran Ashwin started his career when under Dhoni in 2010. He was a part of IPL winning campaign of CSK as well, making his place in the team for 2011 ODI <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ab-de-villiers-was-in-line-to-play-the-t20-world-cup-quinton-de-kock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Cup</a>. After Anil Kumble retired and Harbhajan Singh was at the end of his peak, India was looking for their next superstar spinner and Ashwin came into the picture.

He made an excellent partnership with Pragyan Ojha in the initial days of his career and later with Jadeja. He already has 7 Man of the Series awards out 27 series he has played in Test cricket. Ashwin&#8217;s batting credentials can&#8217;t be denied as well. He was once No.1 Test all-rounder too.

When Kohli became captain, Ashwin was already a match-winner for India in all three formats. Though, after India faced failure in 2017 Champions Trophy, India stuck to the leg spinners in limited-overs but Ashwin is regarded as one of the best spinners in Test cricket at the moment. He might end up as arguably the best finger spinner India ever had.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-204280" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-14.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-204280" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma celebrates his double hundred. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Rohit Sharma did not make his ODI debut under Dhoni but his career shaped as one of the best limited-overs batsmen when Dhoni was as the helm. He made his first mark under Dhoni in T20 World Cup 2007 and he was given ample opportunities by Dhoni for his well-known ability to prosper. Dhoni even made one of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir to sit on the bench in order to give Rohit a continuous run during 2011-12 CB series in Australia.

Rohit Sharma possessing the tag of the one most talented cricketers was talk of the town before 2013 Champions Trophy. But Dhoni&#8217;s overnight decision to make him an ODI opener just before a big ICC event changed the Mumbai batsman&#8217;s career completely. He used to average 30 before 2013 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/sarfaraz-ahmed-shares-an-adorable-video-of-his-son-celebrating-third-anniversary-of-pakistans-2017-champions-trophy-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Champions Trophy</a> and his strike rate was 78. Rohit has not averaged below 50 in any calendar year after that, and his strike rate has gone above 90 as well.

There is no doubt that Rohit has performed excellent under Kohli and his five hundreds in 2019 World Cup is a mere example of that. No one has ever scored 2 ODI double hundreds but Rohit already has three to his name. With more than 2-3 years of top-class cricket still left in him, he is definitely one of the biggest gifts from Dhoni to Kohli.

~ Written by Hitesh Khatnani

Since the day Gautam Gambhir has claimed that Sourav Ganguly gave a team of match-winners to MS Dhoni but Dhoni hasn’t given much to Virat Kohli, there has been a staunch debate around the same.
Gambhir had pointed out that Ganguly left behind a bunch of talented cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan who played a role in India’s 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup-winning campaign. However, Dhoni, according to Gambhir, ended his tenure without giving any quality players apart from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/jasprit-bumrah-and-jofra-archer-are-very-similar-faf-du-plessis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jasprit Bumrah</a>.
31 and 25 players debuted under Dhoni in One-day Internationals and Test cricket respectively. But how many of them have transformed themselves into match-winners? The influence of Dhoni has been such on Indian cricket that there is a whole era named after him but did his legacy benefit Virat Kohli?
Here are 5 players which MS Dhoni gave to Virat Kohli:
<h3>1. Ravindra Jadeja</h3>
<figure id="attachment_414195" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414195" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-414195" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravindra-Jadeja-1.jpg" alt="Ravindra Jadeja" width="640" height="399" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414195" class="wp-caption-text">Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best fielder India ever had. The Saurashtra stalwart came into limelight when he was a part of Rajasthan Royals which won the inaugural IPL in 2008. When he joined international cricket, he was preferred by Dhoni as he gave a finishing option at No. 6 or 7 and 10 confirmed overs.
Dhoni’s role in Jadeja’s success was very important; he was continuously giving instructions from behind the stumps which made Jadeja the impressive and consistent bowler he is today. When Jadeja entered <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-australia-test-rivalry-is-at-par-with-the-ashes-brett-lee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Test </a>cricket, he became a big thing right away as he had great control over the line and length and was a handy batsman as well. The left-hander can get quick runs and his energy in the field makes him one of the best fielders at the biggest level.
Jadeja under Dhoni and later under Kohli formed a formidable pair with Ashwin and this makes India’s defeat in home conditions almost impossible. He comes as a hard-hitting option at No. 6 or 7 in Tests and ODIs, which often comes very handy. His innings with Dhoni in the World Cup 2019 semi-finals was one of the finest displays of his batting ability. He is one of the best all-round options given by Dhoni to Virat.

<h3>2. Shikhar Dhawan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_322713" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-322713" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-322713" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-century.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-322713" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Shikhar Dhawan came into the limelight when he was the highest scorer and Man of the Tournament in U19 World Cup in 2004. He made his ODI debut in 2010 but was dropped soon after that. His golden days arrived in 2013 when he scored a hundred on his Test debut that too in an ODI manner, justifying the sacking of Sehwag who used to bat in the same style.
He had a wonderful Champions Trophy 2013 and was adjudged Man of the Tournament as he scored 363 runs in the tournament. He made a wonderful opening pair with<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/he-can-hit-boundaries-with-such-grace-kamran-akmal-praises-rohit-sharma-for-his-power-hitting-and-temperament/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Rohit Sharma</a> and provides the roller coaster start to the innings when Rohit requires time to settle.
His hand-eye coordination and class on offside make him a combination of both Sehwag and Ganguly. When Virat was made captain of the team, Shikhar still had age on his side and his form was also in its prime. Shikhar, Rohit and Virat made a formidable top order which was very important as India had a comparatively an inexperienced middle order. If Dhoni wouldn’t have dropped Sehwag and Gambhir and trusted in Dhawan during his early days, India might have had a weaker top-order force at present.

<h3>3. Hardik Pandya</h3>
<figure id="attachment_387685" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-387685" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-387685" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Hardik-Pandya-and-MS-Dhoni.jpg" alt="Mahendra Singh Dhon with Hardik Pandya" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-387685" class="wp-caption-text">Mahendra Singh Dhon with Hardik Pandya. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Hardik Pandya is probably the best T20 all-rounder ever played for India. He made both of his ODI and T20 debut under Dhoni and he has praised him a lot of times for his success as well. Pandya emerged from IPL while playing for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mumbai-indians-all-time-best-xi-in-ipl-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mumbai Indians</a> and was known for his ability to hit sixes at will and his pace bowling ability too.
India, who has been looking for a replacement of Kapil Dev since the day he retired, saw a light in the IPL performance of Pandya. Dhoni backed him to the most and even gave him death overs in his first ICC event– 2016 T20 World Cup. When Kohli became captain, Pandya was young and dynamic but already had enough experience of international cricket to make him a contender for a finisher, as well as a fifth bowler in limited-overs cricket.
Under Kohli, Pandya was drafted into the Test side as well. His innings in 2017 Champions Trophy final was a memorable knock for all the Indians, though he was not able to take India over the line against Pakistan. Pandya’s ability to provide 10 overs in ODIs and excellent hitting ability from the very first ball made him a permanent member of the team and his power-hitting makes him the next potential finisher for India.

<h3>4. Ravichandran Ashwin</h3>
<figure id="attachment_230736" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230736" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-230736" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravichandran-Aswin.jpg" alt="Ravichandran Ashwin" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230736" class="wp-caption-text">Ravichandran Ashwin of India. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Ravichandran Ashwin started his career when under Dhoni in 2010. He was a part of IPL winning campaign of CSK as well, making his place in the team for 2011 ODI <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ab-de-villiers-was-in-line-to-play-the-t20-world-cup-quinton-de-kock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Cup</a>. After Anil Kumble retired and Harbhajan Singh was at the end of his peak, India was looking for their next superstar spinner and Ashwin came into the picture.
He made an excellent partnership with Pragyan Ojha in the initial days of his career and later with Jadeja. He already has 7 Man of the Series awards out 27 series he has played in Test cricket. Ashwin’s batting credentials can’t be denied as well. He was once No.1 Test all-rounder too.
When Kohli became captain, Ashwin was already a match-winner for India in all three formats. Though, after India faced failure in 2017 Champions Trophy, India stuck to the leg spinners in limited-overs but Ashwin is regarded as one of the best spinners in Test cricket at the moment. He might end up as arguably the best finger spinner India ever had.

<h3>5. Rohit Sharma</h3>
<figure id="attachment_204280" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-204280" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-204280" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-14.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-204280" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma celebrates his double hundred. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Rohit Sharma did not make his ODI debut under Dhoni but his career shaped as one of the best limited-overs batsmen when Dhoni was as the helm. He made his first mark under Dhoni in T20 World Cup 2007 and he was given ample opportunities by Dhoni for his well-known ability to prosper. Dhoni even made one of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir to sit on the bench in order to give Rohit a continuous run during 2011-12 CB series in Australia.
Rohit Sharma possessing the tag of the one most talented cricketers was talk of the town before 2013 Champions Trophy. But Dhoni’s overnight decision to make him an ODI opener just before a big ICC event changed the Mumbai batsman’s career completely. He used to average 30 before 2013 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/sarfaraz-ahmed-shares-an-adorable-video-of-his-son-celebrating-third-anniversary-of-pakistans-2017-champions-trophy-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Champions Trophy</a> and his strike rate was 78. Rohit has not averaged below 50 in any calendar year after that, and his strike rate has gone above 90 as well.
There is no doubt that Rohit has performed excellent under Kohli and his five hundreds in 2019 World Cup is a mere example of that. No one has ever scored 2 ODI double hundreds but Rohit already has three to his name. With more than 2-3 years of top-class cricket still left in him, he is definitely one of the biggest gifts from Dhoni to Kohli.
~ Written by Hitesh Khatnani

Since the day Gautam Gambhir has claimed that Sourav Ganguly gave a team of match-winners to MS Dhoni but Dhoni hasn&#8217;t given much to Virat Kohli, there has been a staunch debate around the same.
Gambhir had pointed out that Ganguly left behind a bunch of talented cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan who played a role in India&#8217;s 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup-winning campaign. However, Dhoni, according to Gambhir, ended his tenure without giving any quality players apart from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/jasprit-bumrah-and-jofra-archer-are-very-similar-faf-du-plessis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jasprit Bumrah</a>.
31 and 25 players debuted under Dhoni in One-day Internationals and Test cricket respectively. But how many of them have transformed themselves into match-winners? The influence of Dhoni has been such on Indian cricket that there is a whole era named after him but did his legacy benefit Virat Kohli?
Here are 5 players which MS Dhoni gave to Virat Kohli:
<h3>1. Ravindra Jadeja</h3>
<figure id="attachment_414195" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-414195" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-414195" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravindra-Jadeja-1.jpg" alt="Ravindra Jadeja" width="640" height="399" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-414195" class="wp-caption-text">Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best fielder India ever had. The Saurashtra stalwart came into limelight when he was a part of Rajasthan Royals which won the inaugural IPL in 2008. When he joined international cricket, he was preferred by Dhoni as he gave a finishing option at No. 6 or 7 and 10 confirmed overs.
Dhoni&#8217;s role in Jadeja&#8217;s success was very important; he was continuously giving instructions from behind the stumps which made Jadeja the impressive and consistent bowler he is today. When Jadeja entered <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-australia-test-rivalry-is-at-par-with-the-ashes-brett-lee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Test </a>cricket, he became a big thing right away as he had great control over the line and length and was a handy batsman as well. The left-hander can get quick runs and his energy in the field makes him one of the best fielders at the biggest level.
Jadeja under Dhoni and later under Kohli formed a formidable pair with Ashwin and this makes India&#8217;s defeat in home conditions almost impossible. He comes as a hard-hitting option at No. 6 or 7 in Tests and ODIs, which often comes very handy. His innings with Dhoni in the World Cup 2019 semi-finals was one of the finest displays of his batting ability. He is one of the best all-round options given by Dhoni to Virat.

<h3>2. Shikhar Dhawan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_322713" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-322713" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-322713" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-century.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-322713" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Shikhar Dhawan came into the limelight when he was the highest scorer and Man of the Tournament in U19 World Cup in 2004. He made his ODI debut in 2010 but was dropped soon after that. His golden days arrived in 2013 when he scored a hundred on his Test debut that too in an ODI manner, justifying the sacking of Sehwag who used to bat in the same style.
He had a wonderful Champions Trophy 2013 and was adjudged Man of the Tournament as he scored 363 runs in the tournament. He made a wonderful opening pair with<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/he-can-hit-boundaries-with-such-grace-kamran-akmal-praises-rohit-sharma-for-his-power-hitting-and-temperament/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Rohit Sharma</a> and provides the roller coaster start to the innings when Rohit requires time to settle.
His hand-eye coordination and class on offside make him a combination of both Sehwag and Ganguly. When Virat was made captain of the team, Shikhar still had age on his side and his form was also in its prime. Shikhar, Rohit and Virat made a formidable top order which was very important as India had a comparatively an inexperienced middle order. If Dhoni wouldn&#8217;t have dropped Sehwag and Gambhir and trusted in Dhawan during his early days, India might have had a weaker top-order force at present.

<h3>3. Hardik Pandya</h3>
<figure id="attachment_387685" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-387685" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-387685" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Hardik-Pandya-and-MS-Dhoni.jpg" alt="Mahendra Singh Dhon with Hardik Pandya" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-387685" class="wp-caption-text">Mahendra Singh Dhon with Hardik Pandya. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Hardik Pandya is probably the best T20 all-rounder ever played for India. He made both of his ODI and T20 debut under Dhoni and he has praised him a lot of times for his success as well. Pandya emerged from IPL while playing for <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mumbai-indians-all-time-best-xi-in-ipl-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mumbai Indians</a> and was known for his ability to hit sixes at will and his pace bowling ability too.
India, who has been looking for a replacement of Kapil Dev since the day he retired, saw a light in the IPL performance of Pandya. Dhoni backed him to the most and even gave him death overs in his first ICC event&#8211; 2016 T20 World Cup. When Kohli became captain, Pandya was young and dynamic but already had enough experience of international cricket to make him a contender for a finisher, as well as a fifth bowler in limited-overs cricket.
Under Kohli, Pandya was drafted into the Test side as well. His innings in 2017 Champions Trophy final was a memorable knock for all the Indians, though he was not able to take India over the line against Pakistan. Pandya&#8217;s ability to provide 10 overs in ODIs and excellent hitting ability from the very first ball made him a permanent member of the team and his power-hitting makes him the next potential finisher for India.

<h3>4. Ravichandran Ashwin</h3>
<figure id="attachment_230736" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-230736" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-230736" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ravichandran-Aswin.jpg" alt="Ravichandran Ashwin" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-230736" class="wp-caption-text">Ravichandran Ashwin of India. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Ravichandran Ashwin started his career when under Dhoni in 2010. He was a part of IPL winning campaign of CSK as well, making his place in the team for 2011 ODI <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/ab-de-villiers-was-in-line-to-play-the-t20-world-cup-quinton-de-kock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Cup</a>. After Anil Kumble retired and Harbhajan Singh was at the end of his peak, India was looking for their next superstar spinner and Ashwin came into the picture.
He made an excellent partnership with Pragyan Ojha in the initial days of his career and later with Jadeja. He already has 7 Man of the Series awards out 27 series he has played in Test cricket. Ashwin&#8217;s batting credentials can&#8217;t be denied as well. He was once No.1 Test all-rounder too.
When Kohli became captain, Ashwin was already a match-winner for India in all three formats. Though, after India faced failure in 2017 Champions Trophy, India stuck to the leg spinners in limited-overs but Ashwin is regarded as one of the best spinners in Test cricket at the moment. He might end up as arguably the best finger spinner India ever had.

<h3>5. Rohit Sharma</h3>
<figure id="attachment_204280" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-204280" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-204280" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-14.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-204280" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma celebrates his double hundred. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
Rohit Sharma did not make his ODI debut under Dhoni but his career shaped as one of the best limited-overs batsmen when Dhoni was as the helm. He made his first mark under Dhoni in T20 World Cup 2007 and he was given ample opportunities by Dhoni for his well-known ability to prosper. Dhoni even made one of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir to sit on the bench in order to give Rohit a continuous run during 2011-12 CB series in Australia.
Rohit Sharma possessing the tag of the one most talented cricketers was talk of the town before 2013 Champions Trophy. But Dhoni&#8217;s overnight decision to make him an ODI opener just before a big ICC event changed the Mumbai batsman&#8217;s career completely. He used to average 30 before 2013 <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/sarfaraz-ahmed-shares-an-adorable-video-of-his-son-celebrating-third-anniversary-of-pakistans-2017-champions-trophy-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Champions Trophy</a> and his strike rate was 78. Rohit has not averaged below 50 in any calendar year after that, and his strike rate has gone above 90 as well.
There is no doubt that Rohit has performed excellent under Kohli and his five hundreds in 2019 World Cup is a mere example of that. No one has ever scored 2 ODI double hundreds but Rohit already has three to his name. With more than 2-3 years of top-class cricket still left in him, he is definitely one of the biggest gifts from Dhoni to Kohli.
~ Written by Hitesh Khatnani

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