“The fact is Dhoni is among the smartest guys in the game. Behind the stumps, as I said, he's priceless. It gives me the freedom to do my thing. Someone like MS is a wealth of experience,” Kohli told the Times of India in an interview.
“What can I say about him. My career started under him and few have seen him from so close over the last few years as I have. There's one thing about MS that's far more important than anything else -- and there's a lot to him.
“For him, the team is always above everything else. It's always about the team, no matter what. To top it, look at the experience he brings to the squad and we're richer with it. Some of his dismissals behind the stumps, even as recently (as in the IPL), were match-changing,” the skipper added.
Kohli said that there will be expectations from both Dhoni and Vice-Captain Rohit Sharma from a leadership perspective at the World Cup that starts on May 30.
“The way they've gone about their respective roles -- as captains (in the Indian Premier League) -- speaks volumes of what they bring to the table. MS, in particular, has a legacy. So, it augurs well for this team to have both of them in a leadership role.
“That's why the team management decided to have a strategy pool in place which MS and Rohit are a part of,” he said.