T20 World Cup: Dhoni as mentor will boost morale of the team further, says Virat Kohli

Mahendra Singh Dhoni. File Pic/AFP

India skipper Virat Kohli has said that having MS Dhoni as the mentor for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup will hold his side in good stead.

India will open its campaign in the upcoming T20 World Cup against Pakistan on October 24 at the Dubai International Stadium. Kohli's side will also have the services of MS Dhoni as the former India skipper will act as a mentor.

"Massive experience. He is quite excited about getting back in this environment. He has always been a mentor for all of us, when we were starting our careers at the time he played and now he has the same opportunity to continue the same again. Especially for the younger guys who are in early stages of their career, just experience that he has gained over the years and having conversations with him about the game," said Kohli during a Captain's Call organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) ahead of the upcoming Men's T20 World Cup.

"Such practical inputs and such intricate details of where the game is going and where we can improve. He makes a difference when he is in a leadership role in any team, absolutely delighted to have him in this environment. He will certainly boost the morale of the team further," he added.

Talking about Bhuvneshwar Kumar's heading into T20 World Cup, Kohli said, "His economy rate continued to be top-notch in the IPL, he has always been known for this, and his experience comes to the fore. I think his experience and accuracy have always been priceless for the team. He is back to full fitness which augers really well for our team. I am sure he will get assistance with the new ball."

When asked about India's performance in the past two T20 World Cups, Kohli said, "It was quite frustrating to go out the way we did in the 2016 T20 World Cup, but to a deserving side I thought. West Indies was the best team in that tournament, playing the best cricket as a team I felt and they thoroughly deserved to win that tournament. We had a heartbreak against Sri Lanka in the 2014 T20 World Cup finals as well, that tells us as far as our T20 cricket is concerned, we have always had a strong side."

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"Lot of youngsters from the IPL have now come into their roles and they are players who can change the game at any stage. So, we are quite confident heading into this World Cup, knowing we have a strong side and potentially we could go deep in the tournament and if we reach knockouts, go one step further," he added.

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