Ms Dhoni and Virat Kohli were longtime admirers of each other’s games. Both share great friendships with each other, and are on display at Cricket Field, especially during the Indian Premier League.
IPL is a platform where both legendary Dhoni and Virat Kohli are often seen chatting with each other, especially when archrivals Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challenger Bengaluru play each other.
Recently, Dhoni was opened up about their conversation and revealed how they became friends despite Kohli being a junior. Dhoni also praised Kohli for his full commitment from his playing days.
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Ms Dhoni welcomes Virat Kohli’s hunger for performance
During her conversation at Jiohotstar, Ms Dhoni revealed how her relationship with Virat Kohli has grown over the years. He welcomed Kohli’s hunger to be the best, claiming that he always wanted more success.
“From the start, Virat (Kohli) was someone who wanted to contribute. He was never satisfied with getting just 40 or 60 runs. He was always on the verge of a century and didn’t want to go out until the end. That hunger for success was there from the start.”
The former Indian captain explained how Kohli worked in his game to become the best in the world. According to Dhoni, Kohli’s enthusiasm for learning and willingness to be at the top make him different from other players.
Kohli made a dramatic transition after the points, vowing to be the best in the world. In his youth he took all the challenges head on, and faced many challenges. However, Kohli ruled every challenge through his hard work and determination.
How did they deal with run chases?
Ms Dhoni and Virat Kohli have been involved in many successful runchases in India’s past. During this conversation, Dhoni talked about their conversation as they discussed the situation of various matches with themselves.
“He discussed the situation and analyzed how he could do it differently. For example, in a run-track, if he came out at a critical moment, he would talk about whether he could have taken the risk of an over or handled the situation differently,” the CSK wicketkeeper said.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations, and it helped us both. It’s always been an honest exchange of ideas. Whether a particular approach was correct or whether there was adjustment,” he recalls.
Both Dhoni and Kohli are considered the best finishers they’ve played the game. Both players have incredible records while chasing scores in both whiteball formats, making them a unique asset for the team.
“We became friends” – Ms Dhoni about her relationship with Virat Kohli
When asked about the conversation during the IPL, Ms Dhoni revealed that both of them have been friends for many years. He further stated that both he and Virat Kohli could talk more with each other now that they are not the captain of their respective franchises.
“Initially, it was a relationship between the captain and the younger players, but over time, we became friends when we continued to interact. Even today, we share that bond, but there is always respect between seniors and juniors,” Dhoni said.
“Neither of us are captains, so we have more time to talk before the match. We had to prepare before the toss earlier, but now we can get up and chat,” he added.
Both Ms Dhoni and Virat Kohli will be seen facing each other on March 28th, when CSK faces Chennai’s RCB. Both teams start their campaign with victory and become more confident.