New Delhi: The great bond between former India captain MS Dhoni and current Team India star Virat Kohli is a secret to none. Kohli made his debut for India under Dhoni’s captaincy in 2008 and went on to become one of the modern-day greats with his backing. One of the best batters in the world at present, Kohli announced his retirement from T20Is after helping India win the T20 World Cup 2024 title.
Kohli starred with a 76-run knock as India defeated South Africa in the final to lift their second T20 World Cup title. Speaking on a Pakistani show after India’s victory, former Pakistan batter Umar Akmal made a sensational revelation as he shared an interesting anecdote about Dhoni and Kohli. Akmal claimed Dhoni offered to leave captaincy and drop himself when he was asked to drop Kohli once.
Recalling the incident from 2013, Akmal said India’s team manager back then asked Dhoni to not play Kohli in the next game and drop the star batter from the team. However, Dhoni, who was the captain at the time, objected to the move and offered to drop himself. Akmal revealed Dhoni asked the team manager to book a ticket for him too with Kohli so that the duo could travel back home together.
“We were having dinner. Dhoni, Raina, Yuvraj Singh, and even Shoaib Malik were present. We had won the series and there was a lot of pressure on Virat Kohli because he did not have a successful series. The manager came to Dhoni and said don’t play Virat in the final one-day international. I looked at Dhoni, and he said fine. I haven’t been home for six months; Raina will be captain. Book two tickets for Virat and me,” Akmal said on the Pakistani show Hasna Mana Hai.
“The manager was left fumbling for words and ultimately said, ‘Please carry on with Kohli’, he said. I was left in awe and asked Dhoni why he replied like that to the manager. Then Dhoni explained that Virat is the best player and just because he is going through a rough patch for three matches, he should not be dropped.
Dhoni said it’s okay if he doesn’t perform in one more game. But he is going to be India’s captain in the future. And Kohli did go on to become India’s captain,” Akmal added.
Watch Umar Akmal’s anecdote about Dhoni and Kohli:
I was having dinner with MS Dhoni & manager came & told him to drop Virat Kohli but Dhoni said I will also not play the game, when I asked him he said I can’t drop players like Kohli for 1 2 bad performances.
Umar Akmal pic.twitter.com/hXkJlzdzHn
— Abu Bakar Tarar (@abubakartarar_) June 30, 2024
Akmal’s comments came ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 final between India and South Africa where Kohli slammed a brilliant knock of 76 runs to help the Men in Blue clinch the trophy. His comments highlighted the kind of support Dhoni provided to Kohli during the initial stages of his career when he underwent a lot of ups and downs as far as his form was concerned.
Kohli has himself admitted on several occasions in the past how Dhoni backed him during his rough patch and ensured he was not dropped from the side. Dhoni’s faith in Kohli ultimately paid off as the batter went on to become a world-class player and a modern-day great. Dhoni also handed over India’s Test captaincy to Kohli in 2014 before passing over the baton to him in white-ball cricket in 2017.
Virat Kohli retires from T20Is on a high
Kohli announced his retirement from T20Is after India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa. He bid adieu to the shortest format on a high after winning his maiden T20 World Cup crown. Kohli is also presently the second-highest run-getter of all time in the shortest format with 4188 runs from 125 matches at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of over 137, including 38 fifties and 1 century.
Former Pakistan batter Umar Akmal recently recalled how MS Dhoni saved Virat Kohli from getting dropped from the Indian team by offering to leave captaincy and drop himself in 2013. Dhoni and Kohli share a great bond both on and off the field and the former India captain has had a huge role to play in the star batter’s successful career. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
