SYDNEY: New Indian captain Virat Kohli should channelise his aggressive attitude in the right direction, according to Team Director Ravi Shastri, who said Mahendra Singh Dhoni's "selfless act" of retiring from Test cricket format at the right time should also be given its due respect.
READ ALSO: Mahendra Singh Dhoni - The inscrutable skipper
In an exclusive interview on Sunday, Shastri said that there was nothing wrong with Kohli's aggression but it should be used to help build a young team into a dangerous outfit in the near future. He said Kohli was a young captain and will gradually mature into a better cricketer and leader.
He also strongly rebutted reports that the growing closeness between him and Kohli resulted in Dhoni quitting the format with immediate effect.
READ ALSO: A new year and a new era under Virat Kohli
But Shastri did admit that Dhoni's sudden decision to retire in the middle of the Test series against Australia was a bolt from the blue for him and the rest of the team.
However, he also acknowledged that Dhoni did deliberate quite a bit before making the decision and defended its timing by saying that those who question the wicketkeeper-batsman's motives have no idea what he gave to Indian cricket.
The former player also hinted at taking a full-time role with the Indian team after next month's ODI World Cup.
Excerpts from the interview:
Virat Kohli is the next captain. Do you think he needs to curb his aggressive mood a little bit?
What is wrong with that aggressive attitude? If he was only talking on the field and had scored only 5 runs in three Tests, I would have had a word with him. But he is 1 run short of 500 runs in this series. So obviously he is doing something right and it is working wonders for him and the team of course. He is an aggressive cricketer and he loves this attitude on the field and it brings out the best in him.
Sir Vivian Richards is in Melbourne and has praised his attitude. The whole of Australia is admiring him the way he is playing here, because for a long time they haven't seen anyone who plays such brand of cricket, against them, in their own country.
Of course Virat is only a young man, a young captain now, he will learn gradually with time as well. He will mature into an even better cricketer and that is only good for the team as a whole.
Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a century against Australia during Day 3 of the third Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. (AFP Photo)
Can you talk about the moment when MS Dhoni announced his retirement to the team? What was the reaction in the dressing room? How has the team reacted to it?
He took everyone by surprise. The match was over and he had finished his post-match commitments. And he came to the dressing room and said that his time in Test cricket was up. It was just a shock to us all. And the way he said it, it was obvious that it was a well thought-out decision. He didn't even inform his family but told his team-mates first. He was honest with us and honest with himself. His esteem in my eyes has just shot up by 20-25 notches.
This news was a bolt from the blue for us. He knew what words to say and he was honest about it. Dhoni is an all-time Indian legend, a cricket great. And this team sees him like one and not only for what he has done. He hasn't chased statistics or numbers or fanfare farewell. He was honest with himself and they respect him for it. This is a young team and an example has been set in front of them and it's a great learning for them.
You have seen Dhoni from the commentary box. You have seen him as team-director. How do you rate him as a Test captain, after 8-0 in 2011-12 and this calendar year of overseas Test cricket?
It has been a hard job for him. In overseas Test cricket it's all about taking those 20 wickets. Recently they have been coming close but were unable to win. They should have won in South Africa and also in New Zealand. Here in Australia too they have competed well in all three matches and could have won any of them. It's a young side which is still learning.
But knowing Dhoni, he would have loved to win those matches but unfortunately at this juncture he felt his time in Test cricket had come to an end. He felt he wouldn't be doing justice to the team if he kept playing. He saw that the team had Virat Kohli fit and ready to lead and he saw there was Wriddhiman Saha to take over from him behind the stumps. He saw the future was in safe hands.
Dhoni gave his everything for Indian cricket, irrespective of the format. I am sure he will keep playing limited-overs formats for a couple more years like a king and some opposition team will get hurt.
In December 2012, in Nagpur, after losing the Test series (2-1) to England at home, Dhoni had hinted about retiring from one format in late 2013. But he has waited a whole year to do so. What do you think is the reason behind that?
I believe it is a well thought-out move. A lot of hard work has been put into this team over the last one year and he felt that it was time to hand over the charge to a fresh young leader. He has made sure that there will be no speculation over who will be captain afterwards or who will be wicket keeper after he is gone. All these questions are answered. Dhoni isn't leaving without reason, it's not ill-timed. It's a long process and everything about it has been a selfless motive from Dhoni.
For playing 25 years for the country Sachin Tendulkar was an exception and rightly so. But in the past there have been so many players who play for stats or want fanfare farewells, they just keep on playing. But there are very few who don't need that. Dhoni belongs to the 'I don't need it' club. And there are people speculating about his motives and judging him that he abandoned a sinking ship and all that nonsense. Forget playing, have these people even watched 5 percent of the cricket Dhoni has played?
Moving on, you have been with the team for six months now. What exactly is your role as Team Director?
My role is to oversee everything that goes on with the Indian team. I make sure that everyone and everything is functioning to the best of their abilities for the betterment of the players, so that the Indian team can deliver results in all formats of the game. As and when it is necessary, I also give my two cents in the dressing room.
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