Virat Kohli: MS Dhoni will always be my captain

Virat Kohli, left, is likely to replace MS Dhoni as India's limited-overs captain

Test captain Virat Kohli has paid an emotional tribute to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has stepped down as India's limited-overs skipper.

He tweeted that Dhoni would "always be his captain" and he was "the leader a youngster wants to have around him".

Kohli - ranked second in the world's ODI batting rankings - is most likely to replace Dhoni.

Dhoni, 35, has led the Indian team to the 2007 World Twenty20, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy titles.

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He has led India's limited-overs side since September 2007, and is widely acknowledged as being India's most successful captain.

Kohli on Friday thanked Dhoni for his services to Indian cricket in an emotional tweet.

Kohli made his debut in all formats of the game under Dhoni, and flourished as a prolific batsman. He has always given credit to Dhoni for his transformation from a domestic cricketer to a world-class batsman.

Dhoni led his country in 199 ODIs and 72 Twenty20 internationals, also taking charge of 60 Tests between 2008 and 2014, to hold the overall record for the most international matches as captain with 331.