MS Dhoni reveals his special bond with Virat Kohli ahead of IPL’s EL Clasico

Virat Kohli started the IPL with a sensational half-century against Kolkata Knight Riders. Propelling RCB to their opening win in the tournament, Kohli has laid the platform for an incredible season to follow suit. RCB’s next stop is in Chennai where they will lock horns with CSK.

Keeping the on-field rivalry aside, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have been a part of the Indian cricket team for 11 staggering years and when the latter decided to step down from the Indian cricket team as a skipper, he passed the baton on to Kohli.

In an interview with JioHotstar, Dhoni shed some light on the relationship that he shares with Virat Kohli, Dhoni said, “Between me and Virat, right from the start, he was someone who wanted to contribute. He was never happy with a 40 or a 60; he wanted to score a 100 and be not out till the end. So, that hunger was there right from the start.”

Dhoni further added, “The way he improved his batting and his will to perform are what kept him going. He raised his fitness levels and was always there on the field. So he was always like that. He would come and talk, 'What could I have done now? I could have done this.’”

Dhoni also revealed the conversations that he would have with MS Dhoni, stating, “We had a lot of conversations, and that opened us up. Again, I gave him an honest opinion. Things like 'You could have done this, delayed it by an over'. Or 'this was a risk that you had to take'. Just putting in the point, and that's how the relationship grew. It was more like a captain and a newcomer at that point in time, but once you keep interacting, you become friends.”

MSD concluded by stating the mutual respect that they had for each other, he said, “But I still feel we have that line in the middle – about the senior and a junior – although still friends. We have that companionship now that both of us are not captains. Which means that we can have more time between us before the toss."