Virat Kohli said that he would still be seeking a lot of advice from MS Dhoni. (Source: Express Archives)
Newly appointed ODI and T20 captain Virat Kohli, on Wednesday, said that he was “really looking forward to leading the team”. Kohli, who already was India’s Test captain, was appointed as the skipper in the shorter formats of the game too after MS Dhoni decided to step down from the position.
“I didn’t realize myself when this transition happened, from starting off as a player just wanting to play for India and now having the responsibility to be captain in all three formats,” he said, “For every child it is a dream to just play for the country and this is the biggest day of my life.”
Kohli has played his entire international career under MS Dhoni and said that he was thankful to him for thinking that he is “worthy of taking that responsibility forward.”
He also said that it will be a great help for him that Dhoni would still be there for the team and said that he personally feels that Dhoni should play higher up the order. “Obviously on the field I would be running to him a lot. I would want him to totally enjoy his cricket now. The team would be in a very solid place if MS Dhoni enjoys his cricket.”
Kohli also said that he believes in leading by example. “Added responsibility has always worked for me in the sense that you have no room to be complacent or relax at any stage. Even in the IPL, it’s very easy to throw my wicket away after crossing 60 or 70 runs. But I push after that because I realise that as captain I have to set an example and I have to firstly make that kind of effort before asking my team mates to do it.”
On whether his mindset changes according to the format of the game. “For me the most important thing is that the team should realise that the ultimate goal is to win,” he said, “In this day and age you have to play consistent cricket at a very high intensity for a very long time to win the game. That is one of the things that we have been able to do in Test matches. We have become more resolute, patient and mentally stronger than the opposition. We test them to the limit and force them to make a mistake.”
India play their first ODI under Virat Kohli against England on January 15.
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