Pallekele: India skipper Virat Kohli said here Wednesday that the string of limited overs matches will help his predecessor MS Dhoni find form and momentum. Dhoni’s form with the bat in the recent past has been matter of speculation and as usual Kohli, ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka here Thursday was asked about Dhoni’s future in the game. As he has done so often in the past, Kohli once more made it clear that Dhoni has his full support.
“The problem with MS (Dhoni) is that he doesn’t play Test cricket anymore. So he has been out of international cricket for a length span,” Kohli told reporters. “But we have 24 limited overs matches this season. It will help MS be in touch with international games, it will help him gain momentum and I am sure he will be able to maintain it,” Kohli added.
As far as the game is concerned India will once again be expected to be at their ruthless best when they take on Sri Lanka, who has hit nadir in both form and confidence. After a lop-sided 3-0 Test series victory, the script did not change much in the opening ODI, where India steamrolled the opposition by nine wickets.
Kohli meanwhile maintained that he will continue experimenting so that the roles can be defined for each and every player in the days to come. He was quick to point out that the series will be a great opportunity to test the skills of both Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal.
“Yuzvendra and Axar are guys who haven’t got many opportunities so we want to test them out. It’s all about giving chances to people which we feel will not hamper our plans in any way and at the same time, it’s about giving them exposure at international cricket,” Kohli asserted.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka will just be hoping to put an end to the rot. Chief coach Nic Pothas has pointed out in no uncertain terms that all is not well within the team, indirectly pointing fingers at the interference from team manager Asanka Gurusinha.
There have been questions raised about Sri Lanka’s team selection policies. Test skipper, and one of Sri Lanka’s most attacking batsmen Dinesh Chandimal was left out of the playing XI as ODI captain Upul Tharanga – generally an opener – came out to bat at No 4, where Chandimal bats.
This has set tongues wagging that all is not well in the Sri Lankan dressing room. Pothas has openly commented the decision of leaving out Chandimal and has stated that ‘too many cooks’ are spoiling Sri Lanka’s chances.
Press Trust of India
