I Am As Friendly With Kuldeep Yadav As I Am With MS Dhoni - Virat Kohli

The Indian captain Virat Kohli stated that he shares the same bond with every member of the team. Kohli said that he is as friendly with Kuldeep Yadav as he is with former skipper MS Dhoni. The Indian captain tries to maintain the right balance within the team. In fact, we have seen that a captain plays a key role in maintaining the right atmosphere in the team.

Kohli stated that any player has the freedom to say anything to a particular player. The freedom is given to everyone and it is how the team builds the trust with each other. The right atmosphere in the dressing room is crucial and the players can give their best in the field if the bond is strong in the change room.

Maintaining the right culture is crucial.

“The culture of scolding people isn’t there in the change room now. As friendly as I am with Kuldeep (Yadav), I am the same with MS (Dhoni). The atmosphere is such that anyone can say anything to anyone. I am like walking up to people and telling them, ‘listen, I have committed these mistakes, make sure you don’t do them’,” Kohli told The Times of India.

Kohli added that the career of a player is boosted by three-four years if he tries to empower other players. The Indian captain said he believes in getting the best out of his players by giving them confidence.

“Your career improves by two-three years. I believe in empowering people. I believe in giving them space to express themselves and when they come to a stage when they feel jumbled, then I’ll have a conversation.

“I’ll talk to them like, ‘this is where you are heading and this is where you have to head. These are the kind of things you should be doing. You’ll regret not correcting those things early as I did. I don’t want you to waste two-three years of your career. You have to play more than what you have played’.”

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli believes that the Indian Premier League has given the right exposure to the young talent of the country. The young players get the exposure of playing in front of a massive crowd in the IPL which help them grow in stature.

The IPL has given exposure to the young players.

“They [the youngsters] are amazing. The level of confidence that they have is amazing to see. As I have mentioned so many times before, at 19-20, we were not even half the players these guys are. Skills have developed because of exposure to tournaments like the IPL. It’s the best thing that can happen to a cricketer.”

Virat Kohli will lead India on the Carribean tour in which India will play three T20Is, as many ODIs and two Test matches.