Umar Akmal, the out-of-favor Pakistan batter, has revealed that he once heard MS Dhoni saying that he would not drop Virat Kohli from the team for failing 1-2 times. This comes after Virat Kohli retired from T20Is as India won the T20 World Cup 2024.
Virat Kohli made his India debut in all formats under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. Kohli is the highest century maker in ODIs and the first to 50 centuries in the format. Overall, he has the second most centuries to his name in international cricket behind Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 tons.
However, even Virat Kohli struggled to come to terms with international cricket in his early days, but he received huge backing from the Indian team management and captain MS Dhoni.
Not only did Virat Kohli repay the fate MS Dhoni showed in him in his early days, but was eventually groomed by the great man himself to take over the captaincy, once his time was up. Virat Kohli became Test captain in 2015 and white-ball captain in 2017 after MS Dhoni decided to step down.
Umar Akmal recalls MS Dhoni telling his manager that he will not drop Virat Kohli despite failures
Umar Akmal was once touted as the next big thing in Pakistan cricket. He started with a bang in Test cricket, scoring a century in his first Test and even impressed in white-ball cricket also. Umar Akmal was known for his easy-on-the-eyes batting and immense talent with the willow.
However, disciplinary issues and fitness problems meant that Akmal’s career was restricted to 16 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 84 T20Is from 2009 to 2019. Though he has not retired from the game, Pakistan management has moved on from him.
During a TV show in Pakistan, Umar Akmal was talking about his not being backed by the Pakistan team management and gave an example of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. He recalled having dinner with Dhoni and when his manager suggested Dhoni should drop Virat Kohli, the Indian captain said that Kohli was a special player and he wouldn’t drop him after 1-2 failures.
Akmal said: “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.”
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
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