Kolkata, Mar.20 (ANI): India’s limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all but full of praise for batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who guided the hosts to an emphatic six-wicket win over arch-rival Pakistan in the World T20 clash at the Eden Gardens, saying that the latter is always hungry to perform and that was the main factor which sets him apart.
Kohli smashed seven boundaries and a six in his blistering unbeaten knock of 55 runs off 37 balls.
He, along with Yuvraj Singh (24), shared a valuable 61-run partnership to help India chased down the target of 119 runs with 13 balls to spare.
“I think it’s the hunger to perform, that willingness to take up the challenge. Different people look at the same thing in different ways. His (Kohli’s) biggest plus point is that he takes everything as a challenge. He wants to improve, wants to contribute in each and every game and that’s what it’s all about. He takes care of his fitness. He knows, he understands how he is supposed to bat on different wickets and get runs. We all know once he gets a start, he always converts in into a big innings and which I think is one of the most important things for any youngster coming into the game,” Dhoni told the media here.
Insisting on the importance of backing the players, the skipper said that it was necessary to have faith on the entire team so that they could bounce back. He, however, did not rule out the need for improvement in the team.
“It is very important to back them or to have confidence in them that they will bounce back or they will come back stronger. But I still feel there are areas where we can improve. In the coming two games that will be our first priority. In the first game our run rate is really down. So it is not about innings we have to look at the run rate as well,” he said.
With the win, India have gained two points in the Group B table, but are still lacking behind Pakistan in terms of run rate.
India will next face Bangladesh at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, March 23. (ANI)