Former India skipper and head coach Anil Kumble believes Virat Kohli is more comfortable when MS Dhoni is behind the stumps. MS Dhoni was rested in the last two games against Australia and Virat couldn’t motivate the team in his absence.
“I think he is certainly more comfortable, rather saying better captain; he is probably a lot more comfortable when MS is behind the stumps and then the conversation between him and Virat definitely helps him make the right decisions,” Anil Kumble said in a conversation with Cricket Next.
“I mean it comes naturally to MS,” said Kumble. “He had been the captain for a long long time. He is behind the stumps so he reads the game better than anybody else. He obviously is in conversation with the bowler on the kind of lines that he needs to bowl, the kind of pace that the bowlers need to bowl. And also with the field placing.”
Virat Kohli is often seen in consultation with the former skipper when it comes to DRS and field placement. Kumble further added that its pretty obvious Virat needs Dhoni to achieve success in one-day internationals.
“I think Virat certainly depends a lot on MS Dhoni in One Day Cricket, for him to have those proper field placings. So that is something he probably had missed in the last two matches. And if you look at last 10 or 15 overs – the second half or the final powerplay Virat is generally manning the boundary. So yes, when MS is there he is on the boundary line and suddenly he had to man the last two overs and the last ten overs under pressure. So yes he certainly depends a lot on MS Dhoni,” he added.