Team India mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s “eye for intricate details” and “practical advice” will help in enhancing the confidence of the squad during the coming T20 World Cup, captain Virat Kohli said on Saturday.
During a virtual media interaction organised by the ICC, Kohli expressed his delight at Dhoni’s appointment. India have failed to win an ICC tournament since the Champions Trophy triumph in 2013 and then captain Dhoni’s appointment is being seen as a move to end that drought.
“He has got massive experience. He is quite excited himself to be back in that environment. He has always been a mentor for all of us when we were starting our careers through till the time he was with the team,” Kohli said during the media session.
“Younger guys who are playing their first major tournaments at early stages of their careers will benefit. His eye for intricate details and practical advice will help improve the game by one or two per cent.
“We are absolutely delighted to have him... (His) presence will not only boost morale but also increase the confidence that we already have,” he added.
Kohli said he is looking forward to gaining from the experience that Dhoni has accumulated over the years. Dhoni won the IPL title for a fourth time with Chennai Super Kings on Friday.
The India captain played down the “hype” surrounding their high-profile opener against Pakistan, saying it’s “just another match for us” on October 24.
India have never lost to their arch-rivals in either ODI or T20 World Cup games and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has said that they are confident of changing the trend this time.
“I honestly never felt so,” Kohli said when asked if it feels different whenever India meet Pakistan. “I have just approached this game as another game of cricket and I know there is a lot of hype around this game, more so with ticket sales and the demand for tickets.”
Kohli said that he has had to refuse a lot of friends who had asked for tickets. “... and right now, value of those tickets is ridiculously high and that’s all I know, my friends are demanding tickets right, left and centre and I am saying, ‘no’.”
Kohli believes that one needs to be professional and play the game in the right spirit, like they would do with every match. “Apart from that, I don’t think we can make anything extra out of this game and for us it’s a game of cricket that has to be played in the right spirit, in the way we know we can,” he said.
“Yes, the environment you can say is different from outside and from fans’ point of view, definitely more excitement in the air but from a players’ point of view, we try to stay as professional as we can and always approach the game in the most normal way possible,” he said.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the World Cup,” Kohli said when asked if winning the trophy will be the perfect end to his successful partnership with head coach Ravi Shastri.
