MS Dhoni opened up on his relationship with Virat Kohli, addressing at length some of the things the two former India captains experienced together.
The incomparable MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli played together for 11 years, but despite evolving as friends, there is ‘a line’ that continues to exist between them. Yes, Dhoni, the former India captain, has opened up on his relationship with his successor Kohli, revealing the nuances of their bond. Kohli debuted in 2008 when Dhoni was already a big name – he had led India to a T20 World Cup and a CB Series win in Australia. Already being touted as the ‘greatest captain’ India had ever produced, Dhoni mentored Kohli every step of the way as the youngster transformed into the best batter in the world. Till the end, when Dhoni played his last game for India under Kohli in 2019, the camaraderie between the two never doused.
MS Dhoni (L) and Virat Kohli are friends but…(AFP)
In 2022, Kohli put out a random post on X – a picture with Dhoni during the 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal against Australia – referring to him as ‘always my captain’. Even during last year’s IPL, Kohli and Dhoni shared a hug in the season opener between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, making for a heartwarming visual. But as much of a brotherhood there is, Dhoni says there’s always been a junior-senior thing between the two.
“Between me and Virat, right from the start, he was someone who wanted to contribute. He was never happy with a 40 or a 60; he wanted to score a 100 and be not out till the end. So, that hunger was there right from the start. The way he improved his batting and his will to perform are what kept him going. He raised his fitness levels and was always there on the field. So he was always like that. He would come and talk, ‘What I could have done now? I could have done this'”, Dhoni said in his interview with JioHotstar.
“We had a lot of conversations, and that opened us up. Again, I gave him an honest opinion. Things like ‘You could have done this, delayed it by an over’. Or ‘this was a risk that you had to take’. Just putting in the point, and that’s how the relationship grew. It was more like a captain and a newcomer at that point in time, but once you keep interacting, you become friends. But I still feel we have that line in the middle – about the senior and a junior – although still friends. We have that companionship now that both of are not captains. Which means that we can have more time between us before the toss.”
MS Dhoni won’t speak about his text message to Virat Kohli
For Kohli, the end of his captaincy tenure remains an ultra-sensitive topic. After stepping down as India’s T20I captain at the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Kohli was sacked from the post in ODIs, leading to a clash between him and the then-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. A couple of months later, Kohli resigned as India’s Test captain. As much as the decision was his, it’s tough to believe that being removed as ODI captain played a role in it.
Kohli later mentioned that only one person reached out to him when he stepped down from the post, and it was Dhoni. For someone who isn’t a mobile buff, the fact that Dhoni texted Kohli following one of the most important decisions of his career is something Virat will always cherish. Dhoni refused to comment on what the text was about, explaining the rationale behind it.
“I’ll talk about the relationship, not the message. I like to keep it the way it is because what it does is it lets other cricketers come to me and ask if they have anything in their mind. ‘Say anything to him and it won’t come out, won’t reach a third person’. So that trust is very important; especially for cricketers who you haven’t played with,” added Dhoni.
