Virat Kohli is a modern-era legend, for his supreme numbers across formats. It is a title he earned, having overcome the difficulties in the early phases of his career. And much of credit for Kohli’s comeback during the early years goes to captain MS Dhoni, who backed him to the tilt. Veteran Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal recalled one of the difficult phases in Kohli’s career, before revealing how Dhoni had fought for him from getting dropped from the Indian side.
Speaking on Geo News during the course of the 2024 T20 World Cup, that ended last month with India as the champions, Akmal recalled Pakistan’s 2012/13 tour of India, which remains the last bilateral series between the two neighbouring countries.
Speaking in context about Kohli’s dip in form in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he managed to score just 75 runs in the first seven innings, Akmal revealed that the India star was going through a similar phase during that series when the Team India manager had asked then-captain Dhoni to drop him from the final ODI. Dhoni then asked the manager to name Suresh Raina as the captain for the last game and book his and Kohli’s ticket immediately, a reply that left Akmal shocked.
Akmal said: “I was once having dinner with MS Dhoni. Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, and Shoaib Malik were also there. I used to ask them what they would do when they left cricket. The year was 2013, and we went on a tour of India. We had won that series. Virat Kohli was going through a similar phase. Then, the Team India manager walked in and told Dhoni not to play Kohli in the last ODI game. I looked at Dhoni’s face and looked disappointed. He then said, ‘I haven’t been home for six months. Why don’t you book my and Kohli’s tickets? Raina can captain in the final game.’ I was shocked and kept staring at Dhoni’s face. The manager then said, ‘It’s okay, do what you want. You can play Kohli in the last game.’ I then asked Dhoni why he replied in that fashion, and he explained, ‘Virat is our best batter. Why should we bench him if he fails to perform in just 3-4 matches?’”
Much like Dhoni, Kohli too received the backing from captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid all through the 2024 T20 World Cup and he repaid the faith with a match-winning 75 off 59 in the final against South Africa last Saturday.
