NEW DELHI, April 18: Virat Kohli hasn�t forgotten the times when Mahendra Singh Dhoni firmly stood by him as a captain and now that the roles have reversed, he is not going to back down from supporting the veteran despite the �unfortunate criticism� that the former skipper is coping.
The Indian captain also expressed his happiness with the composition of the 15-strong Indian squad for the World Cup in an interview to �India Today�.
�It�s unfortunate to see so many people going after him. For me, loyalty matters the most,� Kohli�s words showed his reverence for his first international captain.
�When I walked into the team he had the option of trying someone else after few games, although I grabbed my chances but for me to get that kind of backing, it was very crucial for me.
�Also, he gave me an opportunity to bat at No 3 because not many youngsters get to play at No 3,� the skipper recalled his formative days in international cricket.
When an astute brain meets a superlative performer, there is bound to be lot of mutual admiration and the Kohli-Dhoni relationship is no different.
�It�s just about the field placements and bowling changes and we say you know the angles, you know the pace of the pitch and that�s why there is so much of trust and respect between the two of us,� he said.
As he has said earlier, Kohli again reiterated that there are no peers to Dhoni when it comes to reading match situations.
�He is one person, who literally knows the game inside out. He understands the game from �Ball 1 to Ball 300 (50 overs) on the field. I won�t say its a luxury to have him but I am fortunate to have a mind like that from behind the stumps,� Kohli said.
It is Dhoni�s presence behind stumps that has ensured that Kohli with one of the strongest arms can afford to field in the deep. � PTI
