What’s the story?
Virat Kohli revealed that he received a signed match ball from former ODI skipper MS Dhoni after the series win against England. It is a trend among captains to take home some sort of trophy after a successful series and the Indian skipper stated that Dhoni gave him a match ball after the second ODI at Cuttack.
“MS gave me the match ball in the second game. The stumps are too expensive nowadays and they don’t allow us to take it home. He gave me the ball and told me that it was my first series win as captain and it is memorable. It was a special moment for me and I got the ball signed by him as well,” said the captain in an interview with BCCI.tv.
In case you didn’t know...
Dhoni stepped down as captain of the Indian limited-overs sides last month, handing the reigns to Kohli. Under the 28-year-old’s astute leadership, India claimed the ODI series 2-1, winning the first two ODIs before succumbing to a 5-run loss in the final ODI at Eden Gardens.
The loss was India’s first of the series as they comfortably outclassed their opponents in the Test series as well as the ODIs that followed.
Also read: Virat Kohli explains how playing T20s will help India's Champions Trophy chances
The heart of the matter
Kohli was in sublime form in the ODI series amassing 185 runs in three innings which included a century as well as a half century. Dhoni, meanwhile, was at his destructive best in Cuttack as he struck a blistering 134 in a 256-run partnership with Yuvraj to lead his side out of trouble. He did, however, struggle in the other two matches managing just 31 runs cumulatively.
Coming back to the interview, Kohli went on to praise his team for the character they showed in winning games for the nation. He reserved special praise for youngster Hardik Pandya as well as run-machine Kedar Jadhav, stating that their partnership in the third ODI was one of the highlights of the ODI series.
The duo came together at the crease with the side reeling at 173-5 but stitched together a 104-run partnership to nearly take India home.
What next?
Kohli’s next assignment will be to lead his side in the T20 series against the same opponents which begins on January 26. The Men in Blue will be looking to continue their dominance in the shortest format of the game to cap off a fine tour.
Sportskeeda’s take
It was an extremely nice gesture from the former skipper to sign the match ball for Kohli, not something many captains would have thought of doing. It just goes to show the character and attitude of the 35-year-old and just why he is loved by fans all over the world.
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