My relationship with MS Dhoni is based on understanding and trust: Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, two cricketers who dictated the major episodes of last decade of Indian cricket have had a great bonding with each other over the years. There was a time when Dhoni handed the captaincy to Kohli officially, but still had the powers to set the field and that was the kind of understanding they had.  

It is quite difficult to build trust between two batters at the crease in terms of running between wickets and there couldn’t be a better example than Kohli-Dhoni on how to trust the partner without even the call being made. Even after Dhoni had retired from international cricket, his words and the dressing room atmosphere he created remains a remarkable posture of his journey.  

Ahead of the India-Pakistan encounter on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday in the T20 World Cup 2022, Kohli spoke in length on his admiration for Dhoni and the bond they had.  

We never called because I knew Dhoni is running for 2: Virat Kohli 

Kohli mentioned that his friendship with Dhoni is hard to be put in words and explained the example of the understanding between them during the running between wickets. The 33-year-old further reckoned that misunderstanding does happen in a long career and added about the focus being on team rather than them.  

“What I experienced with my friendship and relationship with MS is very difficult to explain in words because its based on understanding and trust. We never actually, you know when people talk about batting together in calling for runs as soon as the ball went to the gap, we never called because I knew he is running for 2, I'm running for two. Yes, a misunderstanding once in about 10-12 years maybe, but apart from that we were so focused always on what the team wanted and what we need to do for the team all the time,“ Kohli told on The ICC Review Podcast.

Kohli also noted about the belief he had in Dhoni apart from himself on winning games for the side and highlighted the support provided by the CSK skipper during his early days. “So there was always that trust there was always that faith between each other that we are going to get the job done for the team. And within that faith and trust then the relationship evolved outside the game. 

"We spoke on many things, we understood each other's mindset absolutely clearly and the support he provided me in my early days was absolutely crucial for my growth. And then towards the later half of his career, I was constantly there for him and the transition between two captains for the outside world it was like 'Wow we have never seen this happen before and all that but for us, it was quite normal, it was never even occurring to us that he's the captain or I'm the captain now,” he added.