India will be missing the services of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the first three one-dayers against Sri Lanka, as the skipper has been given a much-needed break by the selectors.
Former Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, however, believes despite Dhoni being the mainstay of the Indian team, Team India has enough firepower to deploy against the visitors.
The champion spinner in an interview insisted that India have some terrific players like Suresh Raina and stand-in captain Virat Kohli that can pose real threat to the touring party.
“Dhoni has always been a huge factor in this format of the game,” Muralitharan told The Indian Express. “But even without him, India have some terrific players. Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and others. They can pose a real threat.”
Kohli is not in best of the touches lately but he did score a hundred in the Dharamshala one-dayer against the West Indies. Muralitharan believes that the stylish right-hander is just going through a rough patch and needs support from everyone in the team.
“Kohli is a great player, who has performed consistently,” the spinner said. “Everyone can have a bad patch. It would be silly to target him for one bad series (in England). Rather, everyone must support him. He’s one of the characters of the game. He’s the future of Indian cricket.”
“Kohli is very positive and leads in an aggressive manner,” he added. “This opportunity will be a part of his learning process.”
