ICC CWC'19: Kohli backs Dhoni's approach through middle overs

Manchester: After registering a comprehensive 125-run victory over West Indies on Thursday in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, Indian skipper Virat Kohli backed wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni and said the team trusts his judgement in the middle overs.

"He looks what he wants to do, and anybody can have off-days. When he has off-days, everybody starts talking. We back him, and the best thing is when you need extra 15-20 runs in the end, he does that well. He knows how to bat with the tail. His experience, eight out of 10 times, works for us. We have quite a few players who play instinctive cricket. He's one guy who sends out a message that what the par score is on a pitch," Kohli said at the post-match ceremony.

In the match between India and West Indies, the former won the toss and chose to bat first. The Men in Blue kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and it was due to Kohli and Dhoni that the team managed to post a challenging total of 268 runs on the board.

Kohli played a knock of 72 runs whereas Dhoni remained unbeaten on 56. Dhoni faced severe criticism for his innings in the team's last match against Afghanistan. The wicket-keeper batsman was playing at his own pace in the match against West Indies, but he went on to accelerate in the final over to allow the team to post a challenging total.

"If he says 265 is a good score on a pitch, we don't aim for 300 and end up scoring 230. He's a legend for us, and hopefully, he'll continue. The last two games, things haven't gone as we thought it would, but we've found ways of winning. The intensity in the field in the first 15 overs is something really good. Bodies on the line, and mindset. We feel we can win from any situation," Kohli said.

Defending the total of 268, Indian bowlers were exceptional as they bundled out West Indies for a mediocre total of 143. Mohammad Shami was the leading wicket-taker for India as he scalped four wickets.

India have now moved to the second spot in the tournament standings with 11 points from six matches and they are the only unbeaten side in the World Cup.

The team will next take on England on June 30.