"Support He Provided In My Early Days Crucial For My Growth": Virat Kohli On MS Dhoni

Everyone knows the kind of bond Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni share. During the Asia Cup 2022 campaign in the UAE, Kohli had revealed that it was just Dhoni who messaged him after he left the Test captaincy earlier this year. The fans also know the kind of bonding both players shared, and both of them are most famous for running quick runs between the wickets. It was a testament to their bond that rarely you saw the batters making eye contact, but still running quick twos and 3s.

Kohli, speaking on the latest episode of ICC Review, has now shed light on his equation with 2011 World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni, and how his support was crucial for him in his early days.

"What I experienced with my friendship and relationship with MS Dhoni is very difficult to explain because it is based on understanding and trust. We never actually, when people talk about batting together and calling for runs, as soon as the ball went into the gap, we never called. I knew he was running for two, I am running for two. We had a misunderstanding once or twice in 10-12 years. Apart from that, we were so focused on what the team wants and what we need to do for the team all the time. There was always that trust, faith between each other that we are going to do the job for the team," said Kohli on ICC Review.

"Within that faith and trust, then the relationship evolved outside the game as well. We spoke on many things, we understood each other's mindsets absolutely clearly and the support he provided in my early days was crucial for my growth. Later part of his career, I was always there for him and the transition between two captains, for the outside world it was quite like wow, we have never experienced this before but for us, it was quite normal," he added.

Further talking about Dhoni, Kohli said: "It was never like he was the captain or I was the captain. For me, he was always the same guy. His input was always valuable for me. For us, it was never about who was the captain, it has been a free-flowing relationship. It is something which I am going to cherish for the rest of my life."

Kohli, who was a part of the 2011 50-over World Cup-winning squad also spoke about how it was to win the tournament in front of home fans 11 years back, and how his feeling were totally different from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh.  

"I was looking at all the guys around me, I was the youngest in that (2011 World Cup winning team) so it was surreal to be part of my first World Cup and we end up winning that tournament. I saw the emotions of all the guys who have been there for so long, Sachin Tendulkar getting emotional, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and all these guys," said Kohli.

"And then MS has probably seen these guys playing before him and to then lead them to a World Cup win, I just could see the emotion, I couldn't quite feel it, to be very honest. I could not understand what they were feeling because I was not in that position. But the whole moment was so powerful and overwhelming so I got pulled in with all that emotion and feeling," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Virat Kohli MS Dhoni Cricket