"He has set the bar as far as captaincy is concerned. He has won everything possible, and number one (ranking) in ODI, number 1 Test status and the T20 also. He has left nothing to achieve for any other captain," said Kohli when asked by former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar on what qualities would he like to imbibe from Dhoni.
Manjrekar was the master of ceremony at the panel discussion, also featuring Kohli's Test teammates Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan as well as International Cricket Council's Chief Executive Dave Richardson, after the formal launch of the World T20 Championship to be held in India in March-April, 2016.
Kohli recalled watching India's triumph under Dhoni on TV in the inaugural World T20 championship in 2007 in South Africa.
"I, along with the whole country, was watching the final (against Pakistan) and it was more special as that was before (advent of) IPL. No one actually knew what the format is really like and the excitement of that particular event was massive.
"Guys like Rohit (Sharma), S Sreesanth - all these guys were new to the team. The way he led them at a world stage, making them believe that this can be done. From there on he became this big figure in terms of captaincy in world cricket. His captaincy was praised all over and he became a figure of reputation for Indian cricket all over," Kohli, then 19, said.
