MS Dhoni gives us freedom, Virat Kohli gives us confidence: Kuldeep Yadav

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have been two of the linchpins of the Indian cricket team. Dhoni’s numbers and the success is a testament to the incredible career he has had. He served as the Indian captain for 10 years from 2007 to 2017 and has taken his team to a number of glories. He retired from Test cricket back in 2014 and passed the captaincy baton to Kohli at the beginning of 2017 before the England home series.

However, even after stepping down, the 37-year-old Dhoni has been seen guiding his successor and others on the field. A number of youngsters have lauded him for helping them hone their skills in various departments at various junctures. Just ahead of the World Cup, Kuldeep Yadav, the 24-year-old Indian chinaman bowler, lauded both MSD and the skipper Virat and hailed them as the backbone of the Indian team.

“Both Kohli and Dhoni are the backbone of our team. Dhoni gives us freedom and Kohli boosts our confidence,” Kuldeep was quoted as saying in an exclusive interview with The Times of India (TOI).

It’s not just me, Dhoni helps every bowler in the team: Kuldeep

On a number of instances, we’ve seen Dhoni asking Kuldeep to bowl certain lengths in order to get the better of a batsman. Kuldeep said that the veteran keeper can read into a batsman’s mind and is very helpful. “Mahi bhai understands a batsman’s body language quickly and then he tells us the areas where we should bowl to him. And it often works in our favour.

When I bowl, I find it difficult to set the field sometimes. I look at Mahi bhai and he understands immediately that I need his help. He comes up to me and helps me. It’s not just me, he helps every bowler in the team. I would say when in doubt, reach out to Dhoni. He has a solution for every problem. Everyone looks up to him (Dhoni),” he added.

Kuldeep also feels that the Men in Blue have every chance of winning the World Cup under Kohli’s leadership.“Definitely, the way the team is performing under Kohli, I am sure we will win the title in England,” he said about the team’s chances in the mega event.

Team India’s first match is against South Africa on June 5 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.