WI vs IND: Skipper Virat Kohli extends unwavering support to MS Dhoni

PTI

New Delhi: After Team India's victory over West Indies in the final ODI encounter at Kingston, Jamaica, skipper Virat Kohli found himself amid a chorus of questions surrounding MS Dhoni's retirement. Kohli extended his unwavering support towards Dhoni, clarifying that his predecessor is an integral part of the team.

"He is striking the ball beautifully, you don't need to tell him anything in terms of how to play a situation, how to build an innings," Kohli after India's eight-wicket victory in the fifth ODI game. The win helped India take the five-match series 3-1, after the first match was washed out.

Dhoni had smashed an impressive 79-ball 78 in India's 93-run victory in the third ODI game. However, his crawly innings in the next game where he scored 54 off 114 balls remained an aberration to his explosive batting career.

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When informed that Dhoni was not at his best during one of the practice sessions, Kohli replied, "You have to figure out what kind of wickets you are playing on as well. I was trying to hit the spinners a couple of days in practice and I couldn't because the wickets were not that great to play strokes, the wicket in the centre was much better."

"You can't really judge a guy's batting form at practice because you don't know what kind of wickets you are going to get, he added.

Kohli further explained using nuances from the game, "If the bounce is not ideal then obviously you have to keep defending the ball and keep rotating strike. I think it was only in the last game he couldn't rotate the strike and before that he got a brilliant 70 or 80 odd not out."

The 28-year-old reminded those present there of Dhoni's commendable 52-ball 63 against Sri Lanka during the ICC Champions Trophy, last month.

"In the Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka he played a brilliant knock, in the first game as well he played a brilliant knock here when it wasn't rained out."

He further said, "I think we get too impatient by just one game, one knock. That can happen to anyone, any batsman can struggle and any batsman can get stuck on the crease, it happens to everyone even if you are in top form it can happen to you so."

"I don't think there are any issues because you see the knocks around, he is striking the ball beautifully and the strike rate is close to 100, if not over 100. So, not bothered by anything at all."