Virat Kohli slams critics, says not fair to target MS Dhoni after one bad game

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's role in the Twenty20 format came under the scanner after he failed to lead India to victory in the second T20 international against New Zealand in Rajkot on Saturday. However, captain Virat Kohli has slammed the critics for "running after Dhoni's life" for just one failed innings.

"First, I don't understand why are people only pointing him out, I'm not able to understand this," Kohli said on Tuesday after India pipped New Zealand by six runs (via DLS) in the rain-curtailed third and final T20I in Thiruvananthapuram to win the series 2-1.

"If I fail three times, no one is going to point fingers at me because I'm not over 35. The guy is fit, he is passing all the fitness tests, he is contributing to the team in every way possible, tactically on the field, with the bat. If you look at the series against Sri Lanka and Australia, he did really well and in this series he hasn't got much time to bat," Kohli added.

Following India's 40-run defeat in the second game, calls to replace Dhoni in the shortest format gained momentum.

While 49 off 37 balls with a strike-rate of 132 may not be all that bad but the former captain's inability to rotate strike during the match was a cause of concern.

Dhoni had scored 26 runs in boundaries from five deliveries (3x6, 2x4) and managed only 23 from the remaining 32 deliveries, which is far less than run a ball.

"You have to understand, the position in which he comes out to bat, even Hardik (Pandya) could not score in that game. Then why are we only pointing out one man? Hardik also got out in the last T20 that we played in Rajkot. We are conveniently targetting only one man which is not fair. We also have to look at the fact that by the time he comes in, either the run rate is already eight-and-a-half or nine-and-a-half and the wicket is also not the same when the new ball is bowled. Also, the batsmen who are set from the top, they find it easier to strike the ball straightaway compared to the guys who come lower down the order. And the kind of wicket that we have played on, the wear and tear has been much more in the latter half. You have to assess everything," Kohli said at the post match press conference.

The 36-year-old Dhoni is still one of the fittest cricketers in the team and can run faster than most batsmen in world cricket.

Kohli further made clear that Dhoni has full support from the team management and appealed to fans to be a "bit more patient".

"As team management and players, we understand the situations in which he goes out to bat. We don't get emotional and excited by the opinions of people who are looking at things from a different point of view. If you are playing, you know how the wicket is and what the situation is like. So, I think he is doing absolutely fine. He understands his game, he understands his role, but it doesn't come off every time. He hit a six in Delhi and it was shown five times in the post-match show. Everyone got really happy. And suddenly he doesn't score in one game and we are after his life. I think people need to be a bit more patient. He's a guy who understands various cricketers. He's a very smart guy. He understands where he stands with his body, with his game. So I don't think anyone else has the right to decide that for him," Kohli said.

Dhoni has been in top form with the bat in one day internationals this year and has scored 716 runs at 65.09 with the help of one century and five fifties. Dhoni also scored his maiden fifty in T20Is this year.

His next assignment begins when India host Sri Lanka in the six-match limited-overs series next month.