“We never saw it coming, so it was pretty shocking”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

India Test captain Virat Kohli has revealed that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to retire from the longest format of the game came as a major shock to the entire team.

Dhoni announced his retirement after the third Test against Australia in Melbourne, which ended as a draw.

“We were all taken aback by his decision because it was so sudden,” Kohli said. “We had no clue. We never saw it coming, so it was pretty shocking. There’s so much to learn from him, especially in tough situations: his composure, his decision-making at important times.

“These are the things which are priceless. Any captain would love to have them. I hope I can be as calm as him, but everyone has different styles.”

Even though India have already lost the series, Kohli noted that he will encourage his team to play positively and try to end the series 2-1.

“It’s important for the players to know that we need to be in a positive frame of mind, a line doesn’t need to be crossed,” he said. “But we are not here to back down from any sort of confrontation or any sort of battle. You will still see positive cricket and the same aggressive intent.”

Kohli added that he has been analysing the mistakes India have continued to make throughout the series.

“There were quite a few things that I sat down and analysed in Adelaide that can be improved on and I’ve thought about them in the past few days,” he said. “What are the things that I can correct from Adelaide, the mistakes I made in that game? Hopefully, I’ll get those right and try to make the right decisions in every situation out there in the middle.”