India captain Virat Kohli believes he landed the job largely because his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni was impressed with his reading of situations in matches.
Kohli, 31, replaced Dhoni as test captain in 2014-15 and took over the limited-overs reins in early 2017, becoming India’s all-format leader as well the team’s batting mainstay.
Fielding in the slips, Kohli had easy access to wicketkeeper Dhoni and he felt their chats in between deliveries earned him the trust of the former skipper.
“You start talking to the captain regularly,” Kohli told team mate Ravichandran Ashwin in a chat on YouTube.
“I was always in MS’s ear, standing next to him and saying ‘We can do this, we can do that, what do you think?’.
“He would deny a lot of things but he would discuss a lot of things as well. I think he got a lot of confidence that I can do this after him.
“A large portion of me becoming captain was to do with him observing me for a long period of time. It just can’t happen that he goes and the selectors say, ‘Okay you become captain’.”
Leading the national team of a cricket-mad country is one of the toughest jobs in the game but Kohli is enjoying the responsibility.
“I looked at it this way — if I’m getting this opportunity, I need to work as hard as I can, because not many people get this chance,” said Kohli, who led India to Under-19 World Cup title in 2008.
Kohli led India to the top of the world test rankings in October 2016 where they remained until Australia replaced them this month. India lost in the semi-finals of last year’s one-day World Cup in England.
“I was always inclined to taking responsibility (but) becoming captain of India was not even in my wildest dreams to be honest,” Kohli said.


Mahi is always emotional about 
cricket, it’s his love: Sakshi


The common perception might be that Mahendra Singh Dhoni does not show a lot of emotion on the field and is ‘Captain Cool’. But yesterday, the iconic former India captain’s wife Sakshi said that Dhoni is always emotional about the game as it is his love.
While talking about Dhoni getting emotional after leading Chennai Super Kings to their third Indian Premier League title in 2018, Sakshi said during an Instagram Live chat on CSK’s official handle: “Mahi is always emotional about cricket. It’s his love.” Rajasthan Royals (RR) along with CSK were making a comeback to the IPL after a two-year ban. Sakshi also revealed how the avid gamer in Dhoni helps the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman relax. “Video games are a stress buster for him. He has a thinking brain which doesn’t rest. So video games help him and he is now too much into Call Of Duty and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).” Sakshi also joked that only she can pick up a fight with ice-cool Dhoni who last turned out for India during their loss to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final. “Nobody picks up a fight with him. I am the only one,” she smiled.
Sakshi also revealed that Dhoni has always kept his door open during tours and players could walk in any time they wanted.
“Mahi has always kept his door open. It has been like that since 2010 (when we got married). People come...we chat sometimes till 3-4 in the morning. When they come to talk to Mahi about cricket, I go away.” Sakshi also spilled the beans on their plans to hit the hills post lockdown on a road trip provided cricket does not resume during that time.         IANS