Team India head coach Ravi Shastri on Friday spoke positively on wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni and captain Virat Kohli, saying that the duo has mutual respect for each other.
When Ravi Shastri took over as the Indian team coach replacing Anil Kumble, many thought it wasn’t a partnership which would do wonders for the Indian team. Considering both of them are known for their aggressive approach. However, that wasn’t the case as the Indian team has only gone on to become a force to reckon with across formats.
Shastri, who served as the Team India director for two years, also said that he wanted Kohli to bat first in the ICC Champions Trophy final 2017, which Men in Blue lost against Pakistan. When asked whether he told about it to Kohli after taking up the coaching role, Shastri added, “Not then but later on obviously there was a discussion because you know in big games you want to put the runs on the board but he likes chasing and they were doing well so you can’t fault him that but like you said there would have been a dialogue.
Further, talking about skipper Virat, he said that he and skipper have many similar similarities and both of them play to win at all cost. He added that they both are strong-minded. Talking about Kohli he said, “Virat is in your face kind of character and what you see is what you get, which is me and this makes it easier and their no hiding behind the curtains.”