Indian cricket team’s captain Virat Kohli is one of the most effective leaders in world cricket. After taking over the charge from MS Dhoni, Kohli has led India brilliantly, across all three formats of the game.
But, living up to the expectations that former Indian captain and Kohli’s very good friend, MS Dhoni fulfilled, will be a huge task for the Delhi boy, who is climbing great heights with each match he plays.
While speaking to a Bengal Daily, Team India’s head coach and a great admirer of Virat Kohli, said that MS Dhoni is the greatest captain ever. However, he also added that Virat is progressing in the same direction.
“The guy (MS Dhoni) has won two world titles – a World Cup and a World T20. Beside that, he has also finished runner-up in another World T20. He played in the semi-finals of two other World T20 and World Cups. People often talk about his limited-over record, but compare Dhoni’s Test with any captain and it will show who is the greatest ever ,” Shastri said Dhoni.
“Virat is progressing in the same direction as well,” he concluded.
Earlier, Shastri, while addressing the media before the second Test, said that the current Indian cricket team is very experienced now and they have achieved what many great names couldn’t.
“This Indian team has been with each other for two years and they are much more experienced now. They have already done things that a lot of other Indian teams and a lot of big names couldn’t do in their careers, for example, winning a series here in Sri Lanka (in 2015),” Shastri said during a media conference, ahead of the second Test, starting Thursday.
“A lot of big (Indian) names have played for 20 years and they have come to Sri Lanka many times but they have never won a series. This team has done that. This team is used to doing that a lot of other (Indian) teams haven’t done and that too overseas,” Shastri added.
Talking about his role in the team, Shastri said that he focuses mainly on keeping the boys in great mental space before every match.
“My role is to be in charge of the entire support staff, to make sure that we get the boys in some great mental space to go out and express themselves with nothing else on their minds but to go out and play a brand of cricket which you have seen India play over the last three years. That is positive and fearless,” he added.
