Team India’s captain Virat Kohli hailed MS Dhoni is the best cricketing brain in the world cricket and said his understanding with Dhoni has helped a successful transition in leadership.
“The transition went pretty well. No one felt there’s a problem. Even on the field, no one realised there has been a transition. We still crack jokes and have a good laugh in between just like we did before. So, I feel really lucky he’s still around, during my initial years of captaincy, and I’m still learning things from him.”
“I don’t think I’ve come across a better cricketing brain just in terms of planning; knowing what’s happening in the game and can be done… Sometimes I like to follow my instinct as well but if I ask him something eight or nine times out of 10, he tells you things that always work. So, it’s a blessing to have him.”
The skipper revealed that Dhoni, nicknamed ‘Captain Cool’ for his ice-cool approach in tense situations, wasn’t all that serious as he appears on the field and has a laugh or two during matches. “MS and I have a great understanding. For example, if we’re running between the wickets and he says two, I simply close my eyes and run. Because I’m so sure of his judgement, I know I’ll make it.
Kohli also said despite talk of rift between the two after the change in captaincy, nothing ever affected their understanding out in the middle. “Our friendship has grown over the years immensely,” he said. “There have been times when people have tried to poke controversies, but neither does he read any of those things, and neither do I. Hence, when we go out together, people can see us gelling and there’s nothing between us. And we are like, ‘we never knew what was on’.”
