Virat Kohli is arguably one of the best batsmen in world cricket, and undoubtedly India's best. There was a time when India were hugely dependent on former player Sachin Tendulkar during the last two decades, and now it seems to be Kohli's turn to shoulder responsibility.
India might be dependent on Kohli for big scores, and the Delhi man has, more often than once, taken his game to the next level, helping the Men in Blue cross the finishing line. However, coach Ravi Shastri does not believe India are a one-man army as other players have risen to the occasion as and when the situation has demanded.
If India are going to be a force in world cricket, they cannot afford to just depend on Kohli alone. And as one has seen in the last couple of months, other players like MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have always stood up.
Cricket is not a one-man game, but a team sport, so all the players need to contribute towards a win. Shastri is happy with the way other players have filled in for Kohli when the captain has failed.
"This team is not dependent on one person, when Virat doesn't score, Rohit does. And when these two fail, then Shikhar scores or Hardik Pandya bats well in the deep. Then we have MS Dhoni and even Bhuvneshwar can bat," Shastri told India TV.
With India taking on Australia for the upcoming ODI and T20 series, Shastri will want the same pattern to follow.
He would love all his players to shine and come up with their best cricket. The pitches in India are always going to assist batsmen, and with both teams having some wonderful stroke-makers, a run-feast is expected in the ODI series.
The first ODI is set to be played at Chepauk on Sunday.
