World Cup: Best thing for Virat Kohli as captain is that he has MS Dhoni as ‘keeper, says Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels that the biggest positive for skipper Virat Kohli going into the World Cup in England was that he will have a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his squad.

Answering a question about Kohli’s abilities as a batsman and a skipper at the India Today conclave, Gavaskar highlighted the role Dhoni plays in the field that eases the pressure on the Indian captain.

“I think the best thing for Virat Kohli is that he has got MS Dhoni as keeper. You can see whenever he is in the deep, MS Dhoni helps him with the field, talks to the bowlers in crucial situations,” Gavaskar said. “Your best fielder should be at the deep during the death overs. That’s where MSD comes into play, telling the bowlers what to do and setting fields because it is difficult to figure out angles when you are fielding in the deep.”

Chief selector MSK Prasad also seconded Gavaskar saying the chemistry between the current and former captain was going to help India win the world cup. “We should really appreciate the chemistry between the two. Both of them have mutual respect and that chemistry is definitely going to help the team win the world cup.”

With Dhoni’s ability to finish matches with the bat under constant scrutiny for the last few years, there has a clamour for roping in explosive wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant for the World Cup but the selectors and the team management have stuck to their guns with Dhoni.

Dhoni, on his part, has managed to find some form in the T20 internationals against New Zealand and now against Australia, building a century partnership with Kohli in the last T20 match.

Gavaskar felt the other factor that makes India the favourite going into the world cup was the strength of its bowling attack, something no other Indian captain had the luxury of.

“India has got an attack which can bowl in any kind of conditions, not just Indian. An attack that can take wickets because if you keep taking wickets, you can push the opposition back. Yes, there are teams that can go past 280, 300 against this Indian attack. But then, India has got the batting to chase that,” he said.

When asked to predict the two finallists at the World Cup, the 69-year-old said he would like to see India beat England in England to lift the title for the third time.