Kohli's hunger and willingness sets him apart: Dhoni

Dhoni and Virat Kohli after beating Pakistan by 6 wickets. (PTI Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

Kohli's glorious run in 2016, especially in T20s has now seen him accumulate 430 runs from 10 innings.

Dhoni believes the key is to keep on scoring runs as long as one is able to do it.

Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi too didn't shy away from lauding Kohli's effort.

KOLKATA: When MS Dhoni walked into the media conference room, he had a sigh of relief on his face. India needed to win against Pakistan to stay alive in the tournament and Virat Kohli ensured exactly that. His special innings, while chasing 119 runs on a surface not easy for batting, gave India the win, and with it 

Generally with other teams, it's either the captain or the Man of the Match, who is supposed to hold the post-match press conference, but with the Indian team, norm is that the Player of the Match never addresses the media. Kohli's brilliant innings under pressure was what the media contingent wanted to know more about from the man itself. So when Dhoni arrived, those ambitions slightly died. But when the Indian skipper readily spoke of what drives Kohli that he produces such gems while chasing, the entire room remained hooked.

"I think it's the hunger to perform; the willingness to take up the challenge. Different people look at the same thing in different ways. His biggest plus point is that he is always ready for a challenge," Dhoni spoke of Kohli. "He wants to improve; wants to contribute in each and every game and that's what it's all about. He now understands how he's supposed to bat on different wickets and get runs. We all know once he gets a start, he always converts in into a big score and I believe that is something important for any youngster who's watching."

Kohli's glorious run in 2016, especially in T20s has now seen him accumulate 430 runs from 10 innings, one of the best by an Indian batsman in recent memory. And Dhoni believes the key is to keep on scoring runs as long as one is able to do it. "Someday, everyone has to undergo a bad patch and what you have to do is minimise that duration. So the best way to go about it is to make the most of the purple patch and score as many runs as possible," Dhoni said.


source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/icc-world-t20-2016/top-stories/Kohlis-hunger-and-willingness-sets-him-apart-Dhoni/articleshow/51478029.cms