5 moments which prove Virat Kohli-MS Dhoni's brotherhood
Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are two of the most successful cricketers of all time. While many reckon Kohli to be the greatest batter of all time, Dhoni is considered by most fans as the best captain in cricket history.
Kohli and Dhoni have been the faces of Indian cricket over the last decade. They won the Cricket World Cup 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 together. The duo also helped India win many bilateral series.
Kohli's rise came under Dhoni's captaincy, while the latter played his last international game under Kohli. Both players are very good friends off the field. On that note, here's a look at the top five moments which prove the brotherhood of 'Mahirat'.
#1 MS Dhoni allows Virat Kohli to score the winning runs
During the T20 World Cup 2014, Virat Kohli played a fantastic knock in the semifinal against South Africa. His half-century took the Men in Blue closer to the target. When India needed two runs to win off eight deliveries, Kohli took a single which brought new batter MS Dhoni on strike.
While Dhoni is famous for scoring the winning shot, he played the perfect block then and allowed Kohli to score the winning runs in the next over.
#2 Virat Kohli deletes his tweet for MS Dhoni just to add 1 word
Virat Kohli deleted his previous tweet just because of he did not add "Ever" (MS Dhoni Greatest Finisher Ever in the game). - Shows The Purest Bond In Cricket, The mutual Respect. https://t.co/Z2ZRmi52wP
During IPL 2021, MS Dhoni's excellent finish helped the Chennai Super Kings defeat the Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1. Reacting to Dhoni's performance, Virat Kohli labeled him as the 'greatest finisher' in his tweet.
Soon after, he deleted the tweet and reposted the same message by adding the word 'ever' after 'greatest finisher', showing the respect that Kohli has for Dhoni.
#3 When Dhoni made Virat Kohli run as if in a fitness test
@msdhoni 
A game I can never forget. Special night. This man, made me run like in a fitness test 😄 @msdhoni 🇮🇳 https://t.co/pzkr5zn4pG
At the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni stitched a match-winning partnership for India in a match against Australia. India were down to 94/4 after 14 overs while chasing 161 in a must-win match.
Bond❤️ https://t.co/E0TMlq9wNV
Dhoni pushed Kohli hard as the duo converted ones into twos easily and completed the run-chase with five balls to spare. More than three years later, Kohli tweeted about that match, recalling how Dhoni made him run as if he was in a fitness test.
Also, in an interview with Gaurav Kapoor, Kohli said that he would close his eyes and run if Dhoni called for a two, highlighting the trust that he has in him.
#4 Virat Kohli expresses gratitude to Dhoni in his lengthy post about stepping down as Test captain
Kohli stepped down as India's Test captain after the away series against South Africa earlier this year. He posted a lengthy message on social media announcing his decision.
At the end of the message, Kohli expressed his gratitude to Dhoni for believing in his captaincy skills.
#5 When Dhoni called Kohli to pose for a photo with the trophy after winning a tri-series
India's captains, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, with the tri-series trophy.. http://t.co/ShqUDsm0JJ
MS Dhoni was India's captain in 2013. However, due to an injury, he missed a few games of the tri-series involving West Indies and Sri Lanka. Virat Kohli stepped up and led the Indian team to the final of the tournament.
Dhoni returned to the team for the summit clash and scored the winning runs. Kohli ran from the dressing room to hug Dhoni after the finish.
At the post-match presentation ceremony, when Arun Lal gave MS Dhoni the trophy, he invited Virat to pose for the photo since he had led the team to the final when Dhoni missed matches.