Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Presence Will Help Virat Kohli Grow As A Captain: Anil Kumble
Jan 12, 2017 at 5:17 PM
The bond between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli cannot be described in words alone. The two have not just been extraordinarily consistent in ODI cricket, but off the field, they remain closely knit friends. Kohli, in his own words, often looks up to the legend of Dhoni to seek some inspiration and passion. Dhoni, meanwhile, more than obliges by assisting Kohli at times and tells him a trick or two every now and then.
Thereby, it was natural that when Dhoni handed over the baton of the team captaincy to Kohli, emotions would fly high. In an exclusive interview with bcci.tv, Kohli recently mentioned that even from now on, for him, Dhoni would always remain his captain as the latter had backed him on numerous occasions.
In the lead up to the ODI series against England, India coach Anil Kumble too echoed a similar sentiment as he said the bond between the duo would help Kohli grow as a leader. In a tweet released by BCCI, the words spoken by Kumble are mentioned. Below is that tweet, which was made a few minutes ago.
The bond between @msdhoni and @imVkohli will help Virat grow as a Captain – @anilkumble1074 #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/zIzUFDiDwq
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 12, 2017
Recently, Kohli was quizzed about getting captaincy and he gave an answer straight from the heart. “It’s a very special moment in my life, it’s a lot of responsibility and something I am really looking forward too. I didn’t realise when the transition happened in my own head starting off as a player who just wanted to play for India and now having the responsibility to be captain in three formats. All the emotions of me playing club games as a child were the first things that came to mind because for every child growing up and playing for the country is the dream,” Kohli said.
“You don’t relate MS Dhoni in any other way. For me, he is always going be my captain because I started my career under him and he is handing over the leadership to me. He will always be the person who guided me initially, who gave me opportunity, gave me ample time and ample space to grow as a cricketer. Someone who saved me from getting dropped from the team many a time,” Kohli mentioned about Dhoni.
“And that’s why there’s a huge amount of mutual respect, because he understands that being given an opportunity I have tried to work as hard on my game and actually improved on the mental side of things so that I can take up the responsibility later. We share a wonderful friendship.”