Yuvraj and Dhoni are the strongest pillars in the team, says Virat Kohli ahead of Champions Trophy departure

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli addressed the press ahead of the much awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2017 being held in England before the team departs from Mumbai. Kohli spoke about topics ranging from India’s chances to defend the title to his batting form and the highly anticipated India-Pakistan clash as well.

He also opened up about Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni – the two most experienced players in the side. Having been asked about how he would incorporate both the players in the side, Kohli felt that they do not need to be told what to do.

“The type of players they are, I don’t think I need to tell them anything. They have so much experience that if they are given the freedom to play the game the way they want in the middle order, I’m sure they know the most in the team about how to build up the match and how to win and how to get the team out of a difficult situation,” said Kohli.

“It was delightful to watch the way they opened up and played with complete freedom in the previous series against England – something which they have done in the past as well. When such experienced players play so well, they lift the entire team’s confidence. I think they are the strongest pillars of the team and the better mindset they have, the more the team will benefit,” he continued.

With Yuvraj and Dhoni both nearing the end of their careers and with the future of the Champions Trophy in doubt, this might just be their last chance to win another trophy for India.

As we all know, India go into the tournament as defending champions having won the tournament back in 2013. A young side back then, the team defied the odds to defeat England in the final in their own backyard.

Kohli felt there were three key takeaways for the side from the previous tournament and is hoping for something similar this time around as well.

“In the last Champions Trophy, I felt there were three takeaways for us. One was the opening partnerships and the revelation of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma as an opening pair. It was a great thing to see for Indian cricket team fans and for us as a team as well.

“In addition to that, Ashwin and Jadeja and the fast bowlers bowled extremely well. Our fielding was the best in the tournament back then. These were the three things we identified back then and we would like to stick to the same thing this time around as well,” he concluded.

India will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 4 in Birmingham after which they will take on Sri Lanka and South Africa in their subsequent group stage matches.