Every now and then, the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, and head coach Ravi Shastri have often given credited the tactical and physical value that former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni brings to the World Cup-bound team, with Shastri pointing out that MS’ has been quite instrumental in his leadership from behind the stumps.

In an interview to the Times of India, Kohli defended Dhoni from criticism of him playing some slow knocks. He said, “Honestly, I think people lack patience. An odd day here, a poor one there, and chatter becomes endless. But the fact is that MS Dhoni is among the smartest guys in the game. Behind the stumps, he’s priceless. It gives me the freedom to do my thing. Someone like MS is around with a wealth of experience.”

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Having worked closely with Dhoni, Kohli expressed for Dhoni, the team has always been everything else. Apart from that, the experience, former Indian skipper, brings on to the table, is unmatchable.  

Shastri, who has worked with Dhoni across two stints, including when he was captain of the Indian team before Kohli, stressed on the leadership role that Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, India’s limited-overs vice-captain, have in the current setup.

Shastri said, “MS and Rohit – both. The way they’ve gone about with their respective roles – as captains (in the IPL) – speaks volumes of what they bring to the table. MS, in particular, has a legacy. So, it augurs so well for this team to have both of them in a leadership role. That’s why the team management decided to have a strategy pool in place which MS and Rohit are part of along with us.”

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Looking at the World Cup, Shastri put faith in the “best” opening pair in ODIs, Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan.