Published: Jan 06, 2017, 09:56 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 06, 2017, 09:56 PM (IST)
New Delhi (ANI): As Indian Test Captain Virat Kohli takes over the One Day side from his predecessor Mahindra Singh Dhoni, Kohli’s mentor and his childhood coach Raj Kumar Sharma said the additional responsibility will only make the swashbuckling batsmen a better player. Dhoni, who stepped down from the post on Wednesday, has been retained in the squad for the wicket-keeper-batsman slot thereby keeping himself available for selection for the England series. Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh has also been recalled in both ODI and T20 squad, which also sees a return for experienced seamer Ashish Nehra.
“Virat is a kind of a player who likes challenges and prepares well when he gets additional responsibility and god has been kind where he has been successful in delivering. I hope he will emulate similar success he had in the test format and play positive cricket,” Sharma told ANI.
“Dhoni is one the best captains India has ever had and Virat, who used to be vice-captain, learnt a lot from him and I believe Virat is going to learn more on remaining calm and cool in tough situations, his presence on the ground would be very helpful for Kohli,” Sharma added.
19-year-old Rishabh Pant has also earned his maiden senior team call-up with the selection committee including the precocious batsman in the T20 squad.
Earlier, the meeting to select India’s squads for the ODI and T20I series was delayed by three hours because of a lack of clarity over protocol in the wake of the Supreme Court order on January 2, which left the country’s cricket board without most of its office-bearers.
