Having Hardik, Kedar ease out the burden on MS Dhoni, remarks Virat Kohli

Team India skipper Virat Kohli is all set to lead the national side for their title defense in the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. He is keen on making the most out of the opportunity that beckons for the team India. The Indian squad has a very balanced look and many pundits have tipped India to be the favorites to win the title. Recently, Kohli spoke at length about the team combinations of the Indian team for the mega event.

As per the quotes in the Indian Express, Virat Kohli noted that there was a necessity to ensure MS Dhoni does not come under too much pressure to finish off games. Kohli added that Dhoni was getting overburdened with the responsibility in the lower middle-order. The team has thus worked really well on it and the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya have added balance to the side.

“The one thing we needed to strengthen was our lower middle-order contribution. I felt too much burden was coming on MS Dhoni in the past couple of years. He wasn’t able to express himself purely because of the fact that there are not enough guys showing composure to finish off the game with him,” quoted Virat Kohli.

“Having had Jadhav and Hardik do so well in that particular phase of the innings has really strengthened our squad. Hardik coming in provides that beautiful balance to us,” he added further.

On balance of the team

Kohli spoke about the balance of the team and elucidated that the unit is quite balanced at the moment. The batsmen have been doing their part and the bowlers have been shaping up really well. Virat Kohli is feeling confident heading into the tournament. He now hopes for his team to execute all the plans well. Unless the plans made on the paper are not executed on the field, it holds no value whatsoever.

“I think we are pretty balanced going forward. We are a balanced side. Bowlers are bowling well. The batsmen are playing well, we got all-rounders, we have got really good fast bowlers. We are in pretty good head space going into this tournament,” quoted Kohli.

“It’s about execution now. You might have the best side in the world but if you do not execute there is no point having that skill. In a tournament like this it all boils down to how you execute on the day,” he conceded further.