MS Dhoni had a special gift for Virat after series win

A convincing series win for India against England in what turned out to be a high voltage set of three ODI games, with both the sides scoring 300-plus runs in each of the three matches. India can take away many positives from the series while the biggest matter of concern for Virat Kohli and the team management is the poor form of the openers.

Opening batsmen Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane scored a total of 37 runs together with Rahane playing only the 3rd and scoring one run. “The areas of concerns will be addressed,” Kohli told reporters at the post-match press conference. “Previously we did not have opening problem, but it was the middle order which is now sorted. We have good openers too and it’s not that we have to find openers. It’s just a matter of time before they come back to form and we need to give them that chance,” he said, backing the under-fired openers.

He preferred to emphasize on the positives for them from the series which included the performance of pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar who played the last two matches. “Lot of positives for us as a team. Even Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) with the ball in the second game. Even today the partnership was outstanding. These guys showed character and stuck at it under pressure. That for me is a standout, the way the relatively young guys have performed and the way Yuvi and MS played,” Kohli said.

MS Dhoni is no longer the captain of the team and so doesn’t pluck stumps as souvenirs and the organizers aren’t too keen either on letting them take the stumps. So as a memento from his first series win Dhoni handed Virat the match ball after the second ODI. To make it even more special the skipper got it signed from his predecessor.

“MS gave me the match ball in the second game. The stumps are too expensive nowadays and they don’t allow us to take them home (smiles). He gave me the ball and told me that it was my first series win as captain and it is memorable. It was a special moment for me and I got the ball signed from him as well,” Kohli said.

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Both the teams will now be heading to the city of Kanpur to play in the first of the three T20I games next Thursday.