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Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is widely recognized for shaping the team that recently secured victory in the T20 World Cup. Players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma thrived under his leadership, reaching unprecedented heights before Dhoni and his contemporaries retired from T20 Internationals shortly after clinching the World Cup title.
For Kohli, the triumph was a poignant moment, especially after his standout 76-run innings in the final against South Africa, which significantly contributed to India’s competitive total. His stellar performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
Reflecting on Dhoni’s leadership, former Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal recounted a specific instance where Dhoni staunchly supported Kohli despite a period of poor form in ODIs.
Umar Akmal shared his insights during an appearance on Geo News’ program ‘Haarna Mana Hay,’ as reported by NDTV. According to Akmal, the incident occurred during Pakistan’s tour of India in 2012-13. At that time, Virat Kohli had struggled to make an impact in the initial ODIs of the series. Prior to the final game, the team manager had suggested to MS Dhoni that Kohli be excluded from the playing eleven.
“I was having dinner with MS Dhoni in 2013. Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh and Shoaib Malik were also present. Virat Kohli was going through a similar phase. The Team India manager walked up to Dhoni and asked him to drop Virat Kohli from the final ODI of the series,” Umar Akmal said.
“Dhoni replied saying, ‘I haven’t gone home for six months. Why don’t you book my tickets too along with Virat’s?’ Then the manager allowed him to play whoever he wanted,” he added.
“Virat is our best batter. Why should we drop him if he fails for 3-4 games?” Akmal recalled Dhoni saying.
A year after that event, MS Dhoni relinquished his role as India’s Test captain, and Virat Kohli took over leadership. Their partnership spanned over a decade until Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020. Kohli subsequently achieved his first T20 World Cup victory in Barbados, where India defeated South Africa in the final.
