PUNE: Newly-appointed limited-overs skipper Virat Kohli believes that with the burden of captaincy lifted off Mahendra Singh Dhoni's shoulder, the former captain will be able to express himself more freely as a batsman and experiment a bit with his offensive skills.
According to Kohli, Dhoni has been India's most successful captain because of his ability to find the right balance in being offensive with his plans as well as understanding how the game is dominated by the opposition, something which the new skipper also wants to learn.
“Already I have learned a lot since the time I have come to the team. I have said a lot of time in the past that many people have had different style of captaincy. I think he has been so successful because he has been able to find the right balance in being offensive with his plans as well as understanding of how the game is dominated by the oppositions and how to slow things down,” Kohli told the reporters on the eve of the opening ODI of the three-match series against England here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium.
“I think that it is his biggest strength and that is something I would like to understand, strike a good balance going forward. It happens in Test cricket as well, but in shorter format you have to make it happen even quicker because the game can rift away very quickly. So you need to have more composure, you need to be more aware,” he added.
Having played a lot of one-day cricket, Kohli, however, insisted that he has a good understanding of how the situations can go and how things could turn immediately in 50-over version.
“I have a good understanding of how the situations can go and how things turn immediately. So, I think that would help me being aware on the field. So, it always helps when you have been a top-order batsman yourself and have seen all the situations while batting,” he said.
Kohli, who is delighted to achieve captaincy in all the formats of the game, further said he is looking forward to take the bulk of burden on himself and continue to work in tandem with Dhoni for the betterment of the team.
“I am delighted to be given the captaincy in all three formats. I don’t think it is a burden. It will just make me better. I would like to take the bulk of the responsibility now, to bat through the innings, hold one end, let others express themselves the way they want to. He (Dhoni) has a lot of limited-overs matches record which speaks for itself. With not having that extra burden of taking responsibility, I am sure he will be able to express himself as a batsman, can experiment a bit with his offensive skills. It gives MS another option of really express himself,” he said.
Talking about the use of the Decision Review System (DRS), with which India
experienced mixed fortunes, the 28-year-old said that Dhoni’s position on the field of play would be vital while judging whether to make a review call or not.
“I saw a statistic yesterday that said 95% of the appeals that he has made in his career have been successful ones. He is someone who has always been very smart in decision making as far as appeals are concerned. I think his word will be the one word I would trust as far as DRS is concerned. There will be no further debate after he says if it is outside the line or missing stumps. He is always someone who has always been very smart with decision making as far as appeals are concerned. His would be the one word I would trust,” Kohli said.
In a shocking move, Dhoni had informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) earlier this month that he wishes to resign as the captain of the Indian cricket team with immediate effect.
Dhoni has achieved unprecedented success as a limited-overs captain, guiding India to glory in the World T20 in 2007, the ICC World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy 2013.
He relinquished Test captaincy and retired from the longest form of the game in 2014, but continued to lead the side in limited overs.