MS Dhoni deserves credit for Virat Kohli’s success as a captain, reckons Kiran More

More urged Dhoni's critics to understand his role in the team.

MS Dhoni | AFP

At the start of 2017 – when England toured India for a limited-overs series comprising of 3 ODIs and as many T20Is, MS Dhoni had decided to hand over the captaincy baton to already established Test skipper Virat Kohli. Since then, Team India under Kohli are doing wonders across all three formats.

Such is the domination of Men in Blue that they have recently won their ninth consecutive ODI series besides featuring in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final in England. Moreover, Virat Kohli and company are currently placed at the pinnacle of ICC Test and ODI rankings.

However, former India wicket-keeper batsman Kiran More strongly believes that ex-skipper MS Dhoni has played a massive role in Kohli’s accomplishment as a leader. More said that being a wicket-keeper, Dhoni understands the game better than anyone else on the field and it eventually helps Indian bowlers and Kohli.

"Dhoni is very important as a player. There is no question mark about him. He is a key figure in the team. The bowlers, especially the two young spinners, are benefitting immensely from his presence. He is so important behind the wicket. He has been telling them where to bowl and what to bowl," More quoted as saying by International Business Times India.

"I think he has been doing this for so many years. Now that is benefitting Virat Kohli immensely because he gets a free hand to think about the bowlers, think about the field placements. He can focus on his own batting.

"Dhoni's role, helping the captain and other members, is very important. He is key to the perfection of Indian cricket at the moment," he added.

Although Dhoni is doing a wonderful job behind the stumps, he often gets the flak for his turtle-paced innings in limited-overs cricket. When asked about Dhoni’s batting, More lauds the Jharkhand man’s adaptability and urged critics to understand his role in the team

"No, I don't think so [concerns about batting form]. He has been getting runs. He is a playmaker, he makes the game at the end. WIth him, it's not a question of only hitting sixes and fours, it's about how he adapts to situations. The number he is batting at -- six or seven -- is not easy," More concluded.

During the recently concluded six-match ODI series against South Africa, Dhoni managed to amass only 69 runs from four innings. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman did not bat at a fixed position.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 19 Feb, 2018

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