Ahead of the 2nd ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on August 24, Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli spoke about MS Dhoni’s importance in the team in shorter format games. In the pre-match press conference held on Wednesday, Virat told that he was hoping the limited over cricket would help Mahendra Singh Dhoni to get his Midas touch back.
When asked about MS Dhoni in the press conference, Virat said,”This coming season gives us an opportunity to define roles for players and give them time to execute it so that for the World Cup, we know exactly what one player needs to do in certain situations.”
Since MS Dhoni is out of the Test format, the upcoming season will be very helpful for a player like him to utilize the opportunity. “This long streak of matches will help him be in touch with the international games, find some momentum and stick to it,” Kohli added.
Speaking about excepting the challenges, Kohli stated that mental preparation was key to standing up to hindrances. He said,”It didn’t matter if we were playing against a side that has played 60 Tests each – if we are mentally more prepared than them then we are in a better position to win. So we decided to put our heads in that zone where experience didn’t matter much for us.”
“It was the fight and competitiveness we were willing to show and the desire to fight for longer periods that helped us get through that phase quicker than what others might have faced,” said the skipper.
When asked about Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga’s dull performance, Kohli said,”Obviously, age is
always a factor in sport. I cannot speak for Lasith but everyone wants to keep up with their peak fitness and manage their bodies well through the course of their career. When you look at his bowling action and the kind of success he has had for such a long period of time is actually remarkable.”
(From inputs from PTI)
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