Virat Kohli’s stint as permanent captain of the Indian limited overs teams got off to a good start with series wins over England in ODIs and T20Is.
After clinching a 75-run win in the third T20I in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Kohli mentioned that he does take advice from former skipper MS Dhoni as he is still new to captaincy in limited overs internationals.
“Although I have captained in the Test format for a while, ODI and T20 games move very fast. So to take advice from a person (Dhoni) who has captained the side at this level for so long and understands the game really well is never a bad idea in crucial situations,” said Kohli.
The 28-year-old also revealed that it was Dhoni and Ashish Nehra’s idea to bring on Jasprit Bumrah in the 15th over when Kohli had plans of bringing on Hardik Pandya with two new batsmen in the middle.
The plan worked as Bumrah went on to pick the wicket of the dangerous Jos Buttler during a period where England lost eight wickets for just eight runs.
“Bringing on Bumrah right after that over from Chahal, I was thinking of giving (Hardik) Pandya another over instead,” said Kohli.
“(Dhoni and Nehra) suggested that let’s not wait till the 19th over and instead bring on the main bowlers. So these things really help when you are a new captain in the limited overs format.
“But again, I am not new to captaincy, but there has to be a balance between understanding the skills needed to lead in shorter formats. MS has been helping a lot on that front.”
Ravi: Every bowling change of you brought the wicket?
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) February 1, 2017
Kohli: Its easy when you have Dhoni behind the wicket and his advises are priceless!
