Kohli himself made a 105-ball 122 to fire up India's pursuit of 351, but was for once

outscored and overshadowed in a partnership.

"I think it was outstanding, just to have another guy that was willing to believe we
can win from any situation was such a boost for me as well. If you want to give one
man credit, it is Kedar Jadhav," Kohli said after the match. "They had four quick
bowlers and he really tackled all of them really well. He put a lot of pressure on the
spinners so they couldn't come back into the game. I couldn't believe some of the
shots he played. He told me it was instinctive, but such was his talent."
When Jadhav joined Kohli in the 12th over, India were four down for 63 and had lost
Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. But Jadhav's shot-making instantly took the pressure off
Kohli - he was unruffled by the short balls and executed the pull, one of his most
productive shots, effortlessly, and countered the spinners with lofted drives. With
Kohli at the other end, there were plenty of quick singles and doubles during their
200-run alliance in just 147 balls. Kohli called it one of the best partnerships he had
been involved in.
"Striking at 150 was outstanding and all clean shots; he didn't slog the ball once,"
Kohli said in praise. "He was brilliant and that's why we back him to play at No. 6. I
think it was one of the best partnerships I've been part of. I think the best thing that
came out was to counter-attack. I don't think any of the wickets we lost was
because of good balls; we committed errors.
"Kedar and I had a gut feel. We thought if we get the score past 150-160 together
still with four down, we had a great chance. The pitch was even better to bat on in
the second innings. The ball travels very fast here. We could hit sixes to put that
pressure every now and then on the opposition. We chased 350 a couple of times
before but not from 63 for 4. This is something really special and will stay with me
for a long time."
Jadhav was battling with cramps as he neared his hundred. He was also fighting
inner demons: that he did not convert a similar start against New Zealand in Delhi,
where India fell seven runs short of the target of 243 after Jadhav fell for a 37-ball
41. Kohli said he had to push Jadhav to not let physical or mental exertion affect his
focus.
"I'm glad I was out there with him, to keep pushing him," he said. "He was
disappointed in the last series against New Zealand when he couldn't get us across
the line. Then he was again playing really well. I told him that the best place you
can learn is out there in the middle. No point sitting outside and thinking what you
could have done. So just push yourself a little more and you will understand how to
do it again and again.
"You understand when a guy is trying to slog the ball or is playing good cricket - you
don't necessarily need to say too much at that stage and confuse him. Only when

he was getting cramps, he was thinking about that. I told him to get the focus back
on the game and take his mind off it (cramps)."

Dravid felt the timing of Dhoni's decision was "really right", since it gave Kohli
plenty of time to mould the ODI side and build towards the 2019 World Cup.
"[Dhoni's decision was] probably not that much of a surprise, in the sense that he
probably knew that the time was sooner rather than later," Dravid said. "There was
talk of him continuing till the Champions Trophy with only one one-day series before
that.

"What else was there for him to achieve? Most number of Test wins for India,
number 1 ranking in Test cricket, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy, the World Cup,
most number of wins as one-day captain. I'm not great at stats but he must be at
the top of every statistical list on what an Indian captain has achieved," Dravid said.
"History will remember him as India's most successful captain. And someone who
really, in his time as an Indian captain, took the team and the game forward in this
country."

MSK Prasad, India's chairman of selectors, said that MS Dhoni's decision to step
down as India's limited-overs captain came at the right time and showed Dhoni had
the best interests of the team in his mind.
"Had Mahi [Dhoni] taken the decision one year or even six months earlier, I would
have been a bit worried," Prasad told PTI. "But I salute him for his sense of perfect
timing. He knew that Virat [Kohli] is now a proven customer who has done
exceptionally well as a leader in Tests.
"So it is a correct decision by Dhoni. It showed that he had the best interest of
Indian cricket in his mind."

"Indian captaincy, there can be a lot happening around in Indian cricket - emotions
can go up and down," Dravid said. "For me, he was able to maintain a calm and a
balance through all of it, which was his unique ability and his unique strength. And I
think Indian cricket benefited a lot from that."
History, Dravid said, would remember Dhoni as India's most successful captain.

Giving up captaincy will put MS Dhoni under pressure to keep performing in limitedovers cricket, but he will remain an "invaluable" member of India's side if he
manages to do so, Rahul Dravid has said. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Dravid, the
former India captain and current coach of the India A and India Under-19 sides, said
Dhoni's experience and knowledge would be "priceless" to Virat Kohli, who will most
likely take over the captaincy, if he continues to earn his place in the side with bat
and wicketkeeping gloves.
"There is no doubt that someone of MS Dhoni's experience and ability, when playing
well, is invaluable to the side," Dravid said. "That's the kind of experience and
knowledge and ability, under pressure especially. It is not easy to find and not easy
to get.

Kohli used Jadhav's example to suggest that limited international experience wasn't
necessarily a deterrent to handling high-pressure chases. "I think one thing we keep
talking in the change room is the number of games doesn't matter, it's how you use
your brain in a tough situation in the middle," he said. "We all are good enough to
hit the ball, it's still fours and sixes. If you think too much on the lines of 'I don't
know how to do this so I'm not sure If I can do this' compared to just watch the ball
and play it with the technique you know best and try to win the game from any
situation, you become a better play than anyone else.
"There is no hard-and-fast rule of understanding the game over a number of games.
You can get a great understanding of the game after 10 one-dayers; it doesn't have
to be 60, 70, 80. The sooner you learn the team benefits from it. This was another
case of the same thing: all the 11 guys believing that we can win from any situation.
Dravid, whose decision to resign from the captaincy in 2007 paved the way for
Dhoni to take over, said it would take Dhoni some time to get used to playing under
someone else, but didn't think it would be a major issue.
"I don't think it's very difficult," Dravid said. "From personal experience as well, it
takes a little bit of getting used to and adjusting - of not setting the field and not
running things - but I think you get used to it. And Dhoni spent a lot of time as a
player and not having captained before he started captaining in 2007. So I don't
think it should take him too much time to get used to it. And knowing the kind of
person he is and the personality he is, I don't see it as too much of a problem."

"When we went back in we got to know that five-six guys didn't move from their
position for the whole time me and Kedar were batting. That's the kind of belief we

have in the change room that yes we might be able to achieve something special
today. That's the only way you can win in team sport."
Kohli also played his share of stunning shots on Sunday night. One that stood out
was an extraordinary high-elbowed, back-foot loft, in the 34th over off Chris
Woakes, that went over the ropes on the leg side. Kohli admitted he had surprised
himself with shots like that from time to time. "I can recall many moments when I
felt like 'I didn't do this, I don't know how it got executed' but I've always spoken to
all the guys on the same thing - If you are focused on the goal, the target you want
to achieve, you don't necessarily need to think too much about the game - in terms
of your personal runs or where you stand at the game," he said.
"If you're thinking team, team, team all the time, you end up playing shots or doing
things you don't quite believe before achieving them. When you are in momentum,
you're able to play the kind of shots that, if you're in pressure, you won't be able to
play. It's as simple as that."
Kohli was not oblivious to his team's profligate bowling in the back-end that saw 115
runs conceded in the last 10 overs. "There was a bit of consistency issue in the last
15 overs as bowlers," he said. "We had done well up to the first 35 overs, but were a
little wayward in the last 15. We will address it and try to improve in the next
game."

"And I guess if you're Virat Kohli, you'll actually be hoping that MS Dhoni does really
well and is able to hold on to his place. Because you would like that kind of
experience performing well in the team. Just that knowledge would be priceless for
Virat Kohli to have."
Although he found a clear distinction in the personalities of Dhoni and Virat Kohli,
who appears set to take over as captain in ODIs and T20Is, Prasad said the urge to
win for India was the same for both cricketers. "Dhoni never gave away anything in
terms of body language while Kohli has always been aggressive," Prasad said.
"What I have loved about Dhoni is that he will never give away anything as to what
is going on in his mind. That's his personality. He can keep things submerged in him.
"But deep down, both Dhoni and Kohli's urge to win matches for India is equal.
There is no letdown in intensity."