"You will always be my captain," said India skipper Virat Kohli to Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday, expressing gratitude for the "friendship and belief" that he got from the talismanic senior.

In a nearly minute-long video posted on the BCCI's official Twitter handle, Kohli said Dhoni's retirement is that rare moment in his life when he doesn't have enough words to express his thoughts.

"Words fall short a lot of times in life and I think this is one of those moments. All I can say is that you will always be that guy who sat in the last seat of the bus," Kohli said.

Dhoni and Kohli shared a visibly comfortable equation even after the latter took over the leader's mantle and both spoke highly of each other.

"We have shared a great camaraderie, friendship, understanding because we have always played for the same roles, same goals, which was to make the team win," he said.

"It's been a pleasure playing under you, alongside you. You showed belief in me, which I would always be grateful for.

"I have said it before, I will say it again, you will always be my captain," he signed off.

Dhoni announced his retirement on Instagram on Saturday.

The 39-year-old will, however, continue to compete in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings.

Moved out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's IPL is scheduled to start on September 19 in the UAE.

Dhoni has inspired a whole generation: ICC

Tributes continue to pour in for Mahendra Singh Dhoni with the game's governing body ICC saying that the former India skipper "inspired a whole generation and will be sorely missed".

"MS Dhoni is one of the all-time greats of the game. The image of his winning shot at the Wankhede Stadium in the 2011 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final is etched in the memory of cricket lovers around the world," said ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney.

Sawhney was referring to the six which Dhoni hit off Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara to win the ODI World Cup title at home.

"He has inspired a whole generation and will be sorely missed. On behalf of the ICC, I congratulate him for an outstanding cricket career and wish him all the best for the future," said Sawhney.