Sourav Ganguly Opines The Relationship Between MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli
We all know that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has been under fire since team India lost the 2nd T20I to New Zealand in Rajkot. The Kiwis defeated India by 40 runs which gave them a chance to level the 3-match T20I series.
Despite scoring 49 runs, MS Dhoni was criticized for not accelerating India’s chase which mounted the pressure on Virat Kohli who scored 65 runs. There were calls from former cricketers and the exerts that Dhoni should call it time on his T20I career and the management should hunt for a youngster who can take up the role sooner.
While veteran players like VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar were after Dhoni, skipper Virat Kohli has said, “I don’t understand why people are pointing him out. If I fail as a batsman three times, no one is going to point fingers at me because I am not over 35. The guy is fit, he is passing all the tests. He is contributing to the team in every tactical way on the field. With the bat, he did really well against Sri Lanka and Australia.”
“In this series, he didn’t get much time to bat. You have to understand that the position he comes in to bat, even Hardik Pandya could not score in that game so why are we pointing out one man. Hardik as well got out in the last T20 in Rajkot. You are conveniently targeting one man which is not fair,” Virat had his sword out while defending his skipper.
“By the time he comes in, the run rate is already 8.5-9.5. The wicket is also not the same as when the new ball is being bowled. Batsmen who are set at the top find it easier to strike the ball straight away compared to guys who come lower down the order. The kind of wickets that we played on, wear and tear have been much more in the latter half,” said the 29-year-old about his predecessor.
“You have to assess everything. As team members and management, we understand the situation when people go in to bat, we don’t get emotional and excited about opinions of people who are looking at things from a different point of view. You understand how the wicket is behaving, in what situation you are in,” he added.
Dhoni in the ODI series scored 25, 18* and 25 and in the T20I series, he contributed 7*, 49 and 0*. “He is doing absolutely fine. He is working hard on his game, understands his role but it doesn’t come off every time. He hit a six in Delhi and it got showed five times in the post-match show and suddenly he doesn’t score in one game and we are after his life,” Kohli said, backing the 2011 World Cup winning skipper.
“People need to be a bit more patient. He is a guy who understands where his cricket is. He is a very smart guy and understands where he stands with his body and game. I don’t think anyone else has the right to decide that for him.”
Following Kohli’s unprecedented support to Dhoni, former captain Ganguly has come forward saying, “He (Kohli) is a fantastic captain. I don’t know what he does inside dressing room or what he does tactically, as I’m too far away (from the team). I don’t know what he speaks in team meetings but the way he looks after his players is remarkable.”
“I keep saying about MS Dhoni and what I see of Virat on MS is fantastic. A champion player (Dhoni) who’s probably on his last leg of his career and Virat coming and saying that he’s my man and I want him to play. You just change a player,” he added.
This is the kind of backing a player needs from the captain when they’re not at the best and while Dhoni would’ve done just that for him, Virat has shown great leadership skills and trust in the old warrior.