Virat Kohli 'Unsettled', MS Dhoni Was 'Not Bothered': 64-Test Veteran Reveals Ultimate Contrast

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are two trailblazers in Indian cricket. Though Dhoni arrived on the Indian cricket scene a few years before Kohli, the superstars' understanding is legendary. In fact, Kohli once said that when he quit Indian Test captaincy in January 2022, Dhoni was the only one who texted him. New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner narrated an interesting incident involving the duo that happened during a Test match between India and New Zealand in 2014. Wagner described the contrasting reactions of Kohli and Dhoni to short-pitched deliveries.

"This Test match, I remember the wicket being quite flat, but there was a bit of pace and bounce. Eden Park is quite small on the straight, but the square boundaries there are pockets that are helpful. I remember bowling a couple of bouncers and how they played it, and particularly [Virat] Kohli looked a bit unsettled. He didn't know if he should take it on or not and how to play," Wagner, 39, said on the Red Inker Cricket Podcast.

"The idea was trying to go cross and outside the eyeline. He (Kohli) tried to pull it in front of square because there's protection out. Him trying to pull it in front of square, he just got a toe end on it and it carried through to BJ Watling. He got a bottom edge on it and it created a bit of a mode.

"Then Dhoni and Jadeja looked like they were going to chase it down and play a phenomenal innings. Dhoni didn't look like it was bothering him too much. It was all about taking the positive and aggressive option for us and not being fearful at all. I was like, I am going to bowl a slower ball bouncer to Dhoni. I did it and he chopped it on, and I was amazed by it. The confidence that I got from that and backing your gut feeling made me feel like getting some confidence and some self-belief."

In the last few months, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from the Test format. Last week, Cheteshwar Pujara also retired from Tests.

1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth said there was a communication gap between the BCCI and the cricketers. He added that the BCCI should have spoken to Pujara to give him a better send-off.

"If you play 100 Tests for your country, you must be a terrific cricketer. So you should be given a good send-off. I am convinced there was a big communication gap when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired. They should have spoken to them, but instead, this is not a good look for the game and Indian cricket," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

"Virat Kohli's retirement happened just like that. Virat Kohli deserved a better send-off. He still had two years of Test cricket left in him. But because we drew in England, such talks about him got shut off. However, India will find it difficult to get a cricketer like Virat Kohli for some time.

"Similarly, with Pujara, though it's been a while since he played for India, they should have spoken to him also about his retirement plans. Of course, the player also has to cooperate and realize when their time is up. Had that happened, Pujara would have gotten a better send-off. But it's a matter of cooperation between the player, selectors, and the BCCI."

Topics mentioned in this article

MS Dhoni Virat Kohli India Cricket Team Neil Wagner New Zealand Cricket Team Cricket