Kirsten: Dhoni Could Captain The Test Side

Dhoni - successful series against Sri Lanka.

India coach Gary Kirsten believes that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is "ready" to captain the Test side but feels Anil Kumble is not worth replacing just yet.

Dhoni was expected by many to take the reins as Test captain after Rahul Dravid resigned from the post following India's tour of England last year, but the selectors decided it was wiser to give the task to Kumble as Dhoni was already the captain of India's limited-overs sides.

However with Kumble approaching the age of 38 it is clear that India will need a new Test skipper sooner rather than later, and fortunately their coach feels that Dhoni has what it takes.

"He [Dhoni] is ready for it [Test captaincy] but there is no need to rush as of now," Kirsten told NDTV.

"Anil has done an exceptional job, he is a great leader. He is prepared to do 30 overs in a day but he is on the other side of the physical side of the game.

"MSD is a great thinker. He has got fantastic skills in terms of understanding the situation. He is the best ODI batsman in the world.

"I think he has worked his heart out, how to win games batting in the middle period. He plays every situation really well and is a very good keeper as well."

Dhoni opted out of India's recent Test series in Sri Lanka before returning to captain the side in a successful one-day series, and Kirsten remains happy with the current set-up.

"Their characters [Dhoni's and Kumble's], their strategies are different," the coach said. "Their thinking is different but they both are exceptional cricketers and they have proved their worth in different formats of the game.

"It's always good to have captains that are performing well. It makes a big difference to the morale of the team, to the energy and intensity of the game."