Indian skipper Virat Kohli came in support of MS Dhoni stating that the former Indian skipper remains fit despite his age and that he remains one of the crucial cogs of the team.
During the post-match press-conference after India’s third T20I against New Zealand, Virat said, “First, I don’t understand why are people only pointing him out, I’m not able to understand this. If I fail three times, no one is going to point fingers at me because I’m not over 35.”
MS Dhoni’s role was criticized severely after India’s loss to New Zealand in the second T20I. India had lost too many wickets while chasing a target of 197 and Dhoni started his innings slow which resulted in the increase of the required rate. However, Kohli said “You have to understand, the position in which he comes out to bat, even Hardik [Pandya] could not score in that game. Then why are we only pointing out one man? Hardik also got out in the last T20 that we played in Rajkot. We are conveniently targeting only one man which is not fair. We also have to look at the fact that by the time he comes in, either the run rate is already eight-and-a-half or nine-and-a-half and the wicket is also not the same when the new ball is bowled.”
He further elaborated, “Also, the batsmen who are set from the top, they find it easier to strike the ball straightaway compared to the guys who come lower down the order. And the kind of wicket that we have played on, the wear and tear have been much more in the latter half. You have to assess everything.”
Kohli also brought a light to the fact that MS remains fit and that he is contributing to the team. He said, “The guy is fit, he is passing all the fitness tests, he is contributing to the team in every way possible, tactically on the field, with the bat. If you look at the series against Sri Lanka and Australia, he did really well and in this series, he hasn’t got much time to bat. As team management and players, we understand the situations in which he goes out to bat. We don’t get emotional and excited by the opinions of people who are looking at things from a different point of view.”
Virat concluded by stating that Dhoni is capable enough to assess his game well, he said, “So, I think he is doing absolutely fine. He understands his game, he understands his role, but it doesn’t come off every time. He hit a six in Delhi and it was shown five times in the post-match show. Everyone got really happy. And suddenly he doesn’t score in one game and we are after his life. I think people need to be a bit more patient. He’s a guy who understands various cricketers. He’s a very smart guy. He understands where he stands with his body, with his game. So I don’t think anyone else has the right to decide that for him.”
