Published: Jan 27, 2016, 11:18 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 27, 2016, 11:18 AM (IST)
Virat Kohli has been scoring big in the limited-overs format of late. As a matter of fact, the Indian Test captain’s splendid run in the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) dating back to March 2014 has seen him score six T20I half-centuries from nine matches at an astonishing average of over 48, which happens to be 10 runs more an innings than his nearest competitor.
On Tuesday too Kohli showed his class by scoring unbeaten 90 runs off just 55 balls to help India script a 37-run victory over Australia in the first T20I. His effort has earned him praised from all quarters, including his limited-overs skipper MS Dhoni. During the post-match press interaction, Dhoni had quite a few nice things to say about his deputy.
The Indian captain heaped praises on Kohli, saying, “I think in Adelaide they’ll be naming a stand after him. By the time he ends his career, quite a few Australian grounds will have a stand named after him. He’s batting really well.”
Dhoni was also impressed with Kohli’s growth as a cricketer, and said, “He is someone who reads the game also very well. Right from the very start, whenever we had any kind of interaction, he was always looking to improve himself. It’s good when youngsters grab a chance with both hands when they get it. Virat did it really well once he got a chance to bat up the order.”
The Dhoni-Kohli combination has been a terrific one for India over the years. It will be handy when India plays the ICC World T20 at home in March this year. Dhoni has already passed on the Test baton to Kohli and is grooming him for the leadership role in shorter formats. It is wonderful to see the two take Indian cricket to greater heights.
