Veteran batsman VVS Laxman has heaped praise on Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni”s chemistry on the field. Laxman believes Kohli and Dhoni are India”s two trump cards going into 2019 World Cup.

“It is not only a brilliant moment of today”s game (in Pune on Wednesday) but it has been a brilliant moment from the day Virat Kohli became the captain in the ODI format. It is so good to see the rapport between Kohli and Dhoni. He has got the advantage of being a wicket-keeper, who has got the best view of the angles as far as field placements are concerned,” Laxman said in the post-match show after 2nd ODI vs New Zealand at Pune.

We have seen on the field how Dhoni keeps instructing the bowlers and setting the field. Virat Kohli sets the field outside the ring and Dhoni inside a circle.

“Without having any ego, Kohli approaches Dhoni and that is a credit to Kohli. Dhoni has an abundance of knowledge and experience, above that he has got so much of respect, so Kohli depends on a lot on Dhoni. This relationship will help India, going forward to 2019 World Cup. Dhoni is a mentor of the India team,” the batting great further added.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from test cricket in 2014 and handed over the reins to Virat. For over a year and a half, they shared the captaincy. On January 4, 2017, Dhoni stepped down from captaincy from all formats of the game. The series against England in January 2017 was Virat”s first as captain. Before that, he had led India on few odd occasions.

India is having a dream year in 2017. It is fair to say Indian Cricket is at its peak in all formats. Never ever India has enjoyed so much success as they are doing now. For this dream run to carry on, Kohli and Dhoni have vital roles to play.

– by Atharva Apte