Sydney, Jan 5 (IANS) Virat Kohli, who has succeeded Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India captain after he quit playing in Tests, spoke out Monday on what happened just after the third Test against Australia at Melbourne when Dhoni entered the dressing room and announced the shocker.
“We were doing our usual thing after the game, packing our bags and stuff, and then he came in and said he wants to say something. And he just announced it,” Kohli was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
Kohli also added that the whole team was shocked to hear Dhoni’s decision as it came all of a sudden like a bolt from the blue.
“We were all taken aback by his decision because it was so sudden, we had no clue. We never saw it coming,” Kohli said.
“It was pretty shocking at that point for all of us and we didn’t really know what to say to him because it was a very emotional moment for him. We as youngsters who’ve started under his captaincy, it was a very strange moment for us.”
The 26-year-old middle-order batsman also believed “there is so much to learn” from the former skipper, and said he would not shy away from taking MS’s advice.
“There’s so much to learn from him, especially in tough situations. His composure, his decision-making at important times; these are the things that are priceless. Any captain would like to have them,” Kohli said.
“I hope I can be as calm as him but everyone has different styles. As long as you can try and pick out the positives from every person, that’s how you improve every day. I know what skills he has as a captain and I’ll always try to pick his brains and take advice from him whenever I can.”
Kohli also captained the tourists in the first match of the TGest series and almost won India the game before the middle and lower-order crumbled like a pack of cards, resulting in Australia clinching the encounter.