Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have passed on the baton completely to Virat Kohli but the Jharkhandi felt with the wicketkeeping duties still with him, he’s almost like the acting vice-captain of the team.
“I think the wicket-keeper is always the vice-captain of the side irrespective of whether he is announced vice-captain or not,” said Dhoni here on Friday. “One thing is the field setting is usually given to the vice-captain or the wicket-keeper. In this scenario, I will have to keep a close eye as to what the skipper really wants, as to what are his preferential field positions. When I was the captain, and the wicket-keeper, I always knew what I wanted, where I could keep the fielder.
“So I already had this chat with Virat about how he likes his fielders, where he wants them to be because that will have to change — in the sense I have to be more aware of whether he wants a short third man or he wants it slightly wider. I will be there to give as many suggestions as possible to Virat as and when required. The field positioning is something I have to keep a close eye on.”
Dhoni said the best part about his captaincy was the way he handled the transition. “When I started there were a lot of senior players in the side and as we progressed there was a time when the senior players had to leave and we had to make sure the transition is smoother. Also, what happens at that point of time is you try to groom the youngsters so that they start to perform very quickly.
“We invested in them and over the period they started proving they are the ones who will take the legacy forward, so that was a very satisfying thing to see. Overall it was a journey I really enjoyed and it is something that brings a smile on your face whether it is the tough periods or the winning periods.”
Dhoni said he always wanted to bat higher up the order but because of various constraints, chose to be the finisher. “When I was the captain, I always felt because it was difficult for newcomers to come and bat at 6 or 7 I thought I should be the person who takes that added responsibility of playing lower down. At the end of the day, the team is more important than the individual. I could've got maybe few more runs than I have right now, but it is about winning. It is the same as of now, if I am supposed to bat at 4, 5, 6, 7 whatever the demand is for the team's betterment, I am ready to bat there.”
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