India's star batsman Virat Kohli on Friday paid tribute to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who quit as India's captain in the limited overs formats earlier this week, saying he was the perfect leader for any young player coming into the team.
"Thanks for always being the leader a youngster wants to have around him. You'll always be my captain @msdhoni Bhai," Kohli tweeted.
Test skipper Kohli is set to take over as India's captain across all formats following the resignation of Dhoni, who will continue to play as a wicketkeeper-batsman in One-Day and T20 Internationals.
India's chairman of national selection committee M S K Prasad had also hinted on Thursday that Kohli is set to take over the mantle from Dhoni in ODIs and T20Is.
Under Kohli's captaincy, India have proved to be a dominating force in Test cricket, having recently thrashed England 4-0 to register their fifth series win in a row.
"Had Mahi (Dhoni) taken the decision one year or even six months earlier, I would have been a bit worried. But I salute him for his sense of perfect timing. He knew that Virat is now a proven customer who has done exceptionally well as a leader in Test," he said.
Prasad feels that Dhoni's presence will be a guiding light for Kohli, who will now have to shoulder the burden of captaincy across three formats along with his batting.
"Dhoni's presence will help Kohli as he now captains across three formats. Had he quit, Virat would have missed out on his immense experience," he added.
Dhoni, who was appointed India's ODI captain in 2007, is expected to be in the team for the three-match ODI series against England, starting on January 15.
