Freshly appointed Team India skipper in short formats Virat Kohli dashed the hopes of those who thought relinquishing captaincy would see Mahendra Singh Dhoni bat up at number four position. Kohli made it clear that Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh's vast experience as game finishers will be put to maximum use in the three-match One Day International series against England starting in Pune on Sunday.
Speaking to media at the customary pre-match press conference, Kohli said that with the team getting only these three ODIs to prepare for the forthcoming Champions Trophy in June 2017 in England, the team management had no luxury of time to experiment. The middle and lower middle order is young and thus the duo have been brought in specifically as seasoned players who will take the team past the finishing line in their characteristic explosive styles.
“I would like to take bulk of responsibility now, bat through innings, do bulk of scoring. Let others around me express themselves. He (Dhoni) is a very experienced player of limited overs cricket; his record speaks for himself. I haven't had to curb my game down too much- that wouldn't help my game and the team's. I am sure now he will be able to express himself as batsmen, experiment with offensive skills he displayed when he came in. He will have a bit more freedom and assurance. Yuvraj is also there in the middle order—both of them feed of each other's batting. One can play aggressive role and other can keep scoring singles,” said Kohli.
A candid Kohli revealed that the team management had discussed before picking Yuvraj Singh that Dhoni needed another experienced player to bat alongside down the order. “You cannot leave the burden on MS (Dhoni) in the middle order so much. In case top order does not fire, then we are left with MS alone guiding youngsters. When you have three games, you need to get all resources in place. There is no time to nurture that one spot, because we have one tournament coming up. We also discussed Ambati Rayudu but he is just coming back from injury and has not had enough game time. Yuvi has had a good domestic season. Two experienced guys make a big difference.”
The Indian skipper made no bones about the fact that his predecessor will be his go-to-man for consulting whether to take the DRS or not. Describing Dhoni's inputs in this regard as priceless, Kohli said, “ 95 per cent appeals he made in his career as captain were successful. He is one voice, if he tells me the ball is outside the line or missing stumps, the decision rests there. He is someone who has always been very smart with decision making as far as appeals are concerned,” said Kohli.
Kohli also touched upon his preferred regular opener in southpaw Shikhar Dhawan. The opening slot has seen tremendous competition with India having embarrassingly good number of options in the top slots. While other regular opener Rohit Sharma is out due to injury, Kohli has the option of playing K.L. Rahul or Ajinkaye Rahane alongside Dhawan. Speaking about his faith in Dhawan's abilities specifically in the short formats, Kohli said, “ Everyone is aware of his ability. We try to keep him clear in his head space, not speak too much of his game. Knowing him to be a person like that, I leave him to his own plans and game. In ODI cricket, I still feel he possesses a lot of quality and ability to set up game; he bats long as well. He has a lot of positives.”
