5 Indian players who enjoy a lot of backing from skipper Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the current Indian skipper across formats has enjoyed a lot of success over the last three years. Be it his personal life or his professional life, it has been quite memorable for the 29-year-old. He took over the captaincy reins in the Tests from MS Dhoni at the start of 2015. About a year later, in 2017, he was also made the ODI and T20I skipper of the side after Dhoni stepped down.

Kohli, the captain, adds an aggressive flavour to the side and likes to go hard at the opposition. The added responsibility has also done a world of good to his batting. Also, he often encourages his players to go out there and express themselves and provides a lot of support to them even in tough times.

However, there are a few players the captain has a special liking for. Kohli has immensely defended these blokes and has put his weight behind them even when they couldn’t deliver the best. Here is the list of players who enjoy an added luxury with Virat at the helm.

5. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami is one of those players who enjoy a lot of backing from the Indian skipper. Getting chances in the playing XI in the subcontinent with so much of a competition is not easy. Players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma are in ranks and always eagerly waiting to grab their opportunities. But, Kohli has preferred going with Shami more often than not.

Virat has stood by the pacer during his lows and brought the best out of him. In the 26 Tests, Shami played under him, he has picked 90 wickets repaying the faith. The 29-year-old backed Shami to play all the five Tests in the recently concluded England series despite the pacer really taking time to get his rhythm and start delivering.

Many doubted if Shami would even make it to the final XI after watching him bowl in the IPL. Although the fast-bowler didn’t have the best of the series, the captain pushed him to do well. Shami managed to pick 16 wickets in nine innings in the Test matches in England tour.