Virat Kohli : I learnt decision-making from Dhoni

10/06/2016

Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli has stressed that bold decision-making is the essence of being captain and credited MS Dhoni for his acumen. Kohli also said that he is honored to be the leader of the Indian team and hoped that India would continue to hold the No.1 position they have recently won.

After taking the world by storm with his batting prowess in limited overs cricket and his attacking leadership abilities, Virat Kohli is now in a league of his own. After taking over the reins of the Indian team in the Test format from Mahendra Singh Dhoni in late 2014, he has shown a tremendous amount of resilience and led India to nine victories in 16 matches. India have only lost two games in this period, once against Australia in Adelaide, while chasing a distant victory and once against Sri Lanka in Galle.

He admitted that he has learnt the trait of taking bold decisions from MS Dhoni.

In an interview with the bcci.tv, the Indian Test skipper said, “Decision making is very hard at times and it takes a lot of courage to do that. I learnt a lot from Dhoni seeing the way he made decisions. They might have been right or wrong but to convince yourself to make one decision and go forward with it; I think that is the essence of being a captain.”

The 28-year Delhi batsman said, “It is an honour to be leading the Test team for the country. It is something that I take a lot of pride in. To be a Test cricketer for starters and then to lead a Test side; for me it is paramount.”

Virat led India to Under-19 world cup glory in 2008, and the way he led the team then had all the signs of a modern-day superstar and a brilliant leader.

He said, “We want to be a world-class team and there is no doubt about it in anyone’s head. You don’t think about being number one when you begin as captain but you obviously want to be on top in whatever format you play and that is all that we strive for.

“To have the responsibility of making sure that we play well as a Test team is something that gives me a lot of pride and I enjoy that. It is a challenge for you to test yourself and be able to take other players along and go towards one goal; which I think I have been put in to is a position of privilege rather than a position of pressure,” Kohli said.

“Obviously there will be ups and downs and you will feel the heat and take criticism and negative things along the way.

But that is what it is all about, that builds character,” Kohli concluded.