Hindustan Times : May 15, 2019, 11:32 AM
Indian captain Virat Kohli has always maintained that the role of MS Dhoni in this side goes beyond the runs he makes, a statement which has found resounding support in Ravi Shastri, India’s head coach.Shastri also said that the rapport and respect between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli is tremendous and both individuals are committed towards a common team goal. (Complete coverage of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019)
“I was never ever in doubt about the two of them having the kind of respect they have for each other, wanting to do a good job for each other because in the first phase of my job MS was the captain, the next half Virat was the captain. And I can see the commitment both had for each other when they played was tremendous,” Shastri said in an interview with Cricketnext.
He also spoke about how the dressing room learns a lot by just observing Dhoni and how he carries himself on and off the field.
“Everyone knows and they know what he has achieved in the game, the stature that he has and then to see the poise and to see the humility, you know his sheer presence there, the composure he brings when he is out there batting or even during keeping is something you have just got to watch and learn and try and emulate it,” he further added.
Speaking about the different personalities in the dressing room, the coach said it works perfectly as it allows people to express themselves and stay true to who they are.
“We don’t want all personalities to be the same in the team and then you know all hell will break loose, but you need that. That kind of a passion from Virat, the calmness from MS and each player is different. Rohit can be different from Shikhar. Kuldeep could be different from someone like Hardik. You would want that,” he said.
“I was never ever in doubt about the two of them having the kind of respect they have for each other, wanting to do a good job for each other because in the first phase of my job MS was the captain, the next half Virat was the captain. And I can see the commitment both had for each other when they played was tremendous,” Shastri said in an interview with Cricketnext.
He also spoke about how the dressing room learns a lot by just observing Dhoni and how he carries himself on and off the field.
“Everyone knows and they know what he has achieved in the game, the stature that he has and then to see the poise and to see the humility, you know his sheer presence there, the composure he brings when he is out there batting or even during keeping is something you have just got to watch and learn and try and emulate it,” he further added.
Speaking about the different personalities in the dressing room, the coach said it works perfectly as it allows people to express themselves and stay true to who they are.
“We don’t want all personalities to be the same in the team and then you know all hell will break loose, but you need that. That kind of a passion from Virat, the calmness from MS and each player is different. Rohit can be different from Shikhar. Kuldeep could be different from someone like Hardik. You would want that,” he said.