Experience doesn’t matter in ODI: Kohli

After leading India impressively in the league matches of the tri-series in the West Indies, Virat Kohli will be in charge for the first time in a full-fledged series. The aggressive Delhi batsman said he was ready for the task and hoped the team would continue their good show in the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe. “I like to lead from the front and set an example for whoever is playing with me or around me. I like taking responsibilities,” he said at an promotional event here on Friday. “The best quality is to not be afraid of anything. Even if you have seniors or players with lot more experience in your team, you need confidence in your ability and think you can lead them. It is important you set an example with your performance quickly and then you gain respect,” he said. But Kohli will have hardly any senior player to contend with in the 15-member squad. He will have to fill the big shoes of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who has been rested for the series along with bowlers Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin. “I don’t think experience matters, especially in the limited overs game. You need 11 players who are hungry for success, hard working and whose vision is the team victory. All 15 players are strong and it is a strong unit, which is good,” he said. The top order batsman revealed that the unbeaten innings of 133 in 86 balls against Sri Lanka in Hobart during the tri-series in Australia last year gave him self-belief. “It was an amazing innings as it helped India earn a crucial bonus point. I went there and everything started flowing for me,” said Kohli who smashed all the Lankan bowlers including Lasith Malinga all around the park as India chased 321 in 36.4 overs. Kohli who led Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL-6 made a veiled attack on players who indulge in corruption. “In the game of cricket, a hero is one who respects the game. And a villain is the one who corrupts the game. They must be punished and have been punished in the past,” he said.