SANGA INTERVIEW

No one can handle pressure better than Dhoni: Sangakkara

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Kumar Sangakkara believes spin will be key to India's chances in the World T20 © Cricbuzz

Kumar Sangakkara has always been candid in his views. In a chat with TOI on Thursday (January 28), he spoke about why India will start as favourites in the World T20 despite recent struggles and why Virat Kohli is ready to take up India captaincy in all formats. Excerpts:

You have been one of the last batsmen to have mixed modern style with orthodox technique and succeeded. Will it be fair to call it the Sangakkara impact?It's hard to comment on my own legacy. See, I never thought about numbers while playing and neither did I think about extravagant shots while batting. If I thought a particular shot would fetch me runs, I would not think twice in attempting it. So while doing that, if I could inspire a few players with my technique, I would take it as a compliment.

You are playing in the MCL. For a player who has won almost everything, what is the motivation to play in this tournament?It gives me an opportunity to remain involved with the game. Our team has a lot of former greats so it also gives me a chance to share the dressing room with them. There are financial attractions as well.

For Sri Lanka, Lasith Malinga is the T20 captain while Angelo Mathews leads in the other two formats. With India also employing the same formula, do you think the two-captain theory works?I can only talk about the Sri Lankan team. There is no denying that our team is struggling and the so-called transitory phase has been stretched far too long. Now, it is time to deliver. I accept that the players might take time to come through in Test cricket because the format is an art in itself. But I don't see any reason why the players are failing in other formats.

See, it depends on how the captain rallies his troops and drives his side. If both the leaders can do it with equal measure, then there should not be any issue. May be, you might not get the desired results even then but for that you cannot blame the captain alone. However, I always believe the best leader should captain in all formats.

Having lost the last three ODI series, do you think captain MS Dhoni has lost his Midas touch and should Kohli take charge?Dhoni has been the longest-serving captain of a national team, where the game is considered a religion. I believe no one can understand the pressure of captaincy like Dhoni. So he knows it best when to give up on captaincy. And it is a dialogue which should happen between Dhoni and the selectors. Kohli is in amazing form and has matured with time. He is aggressive on the field but knows how to conduct himself. He looks ready for the job.

Dhoni has been named the captain till the World T20. Do you think he can rally his troops together for the contest?Spin will be the key to winning matches in World T20. With India having Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, they will start as absolute favourites. Now, all they need to do is play the pressure situations well. And no one knows how to handle pressure better than Dhoni.

© TNN