“He saved me from getting dropped many times” – When Virat Kohli opened up on how MS Dhoni backed him when he was a youngster
In 2017, Team India's ace batter Virat Kohli opened up about how former skipper MS Dhoni backed him and saved him from getting dropped on multiple occasions. Kohli made the revelation in a tribute video for MS Dhoni when the latter announced he would step down from white-ball captaincy.
On January 4, 11 days before England began the white-ball leg of their tour of India, MS Dhoni announced he was relinquishing his duties as the side's skipper and handing the reins over to his then-deputy, Virat Kohli. In a tribute video shot by BCCI, Kohli said (via Times of India):
"He (Dhoni) will always be the person, who guided me initially and gave me opportunities. He gave me ample time and space to grow as a cricketer and saved me from getting dropped many times."
Kohli also talked about replacing the legendary skipper. He added:
"Obviously, these are massive shoes to fill. You think of MS Dhoni and the first word that comes to mind is captain! You don't relate to MS Dhoni in any other way. For me, he is always going to be my captain"
Kohli went on to win his debut series against England, beating them 2-1 in ODIs and T20Is respectively. Overall, he led team India in 213 games across formats and won 135 of them, with a win percentage of 58.82
Virat Kohli's next assignment is the upcoming IND vs NZ 2024 Test series
Virat Kohli has had a lean period with the bat and hasn't enjoyed much success this year in Tests. Returning in whites after eight months, Kohli scored just 99 runs across four innings in the Bangladesh Test series, without a half-century.
He will look to put all the questions to rest when he takes the field against New Zealand in the first Test on October 16. Kohli played only one Test the last time the Black Caps visited India and managed 36 runs across two innings.