Afridi said he was a big fan of Kohli's cricketing skills but he the Indian need to improve as a leader of the pack.
Kohli is set to lead the team in the final Test of the series against Australia, starting January 6 in Sydney.
"I felt disappointed to learn about Dhoni's retirement decision because he is a fighting character and has been a great leader for Indian cricket. He has led many times from the front for them," he said.
Ironically it was under Dhoni's captaincy that India defeated Pakistan led by Afridi in the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup with the Indians going on to win the title.
Afridi, who is presently captain of the Pakistan T20 team, announced earlier this month that he would retire from One-day internationals after the World Cup.
He said that he had no intentions of changing his decision no matter how he performed in the World Cup.
Afridi, who is a veteran of 389 One-day internationals said no one in the Pakistan Cricket Board had contacted him after he announced his decision to retire after the World Cup.
