Only Mahendra Singh Dhoni, according to Virat Kohli, offered him encouragement during a trying period of mental turmoil following his resignation as Test captain.
At the Asia Cup, Kohli, 33, has overcome his lengthy slump with the bat by scoring two consecutive half-centuries, including 60 against Pakistan on Sunday in a losing effort.
Prior to the six-nation competition that serves as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup starting next month, Kohli had a month off to rest and recover.
The former captain’s decline in performance became a recurring topic in cricket, although he said that the difficult times had shown his true friends.
When I stepped down as Test captain Kohli stated, “I would only say one thing, I only got messages from MS Dhoni and nobody else.”
Many people have my phone number and have something to say. however, I received no messages. If you have any advice for me, please provide it to me privately; otherwise, it will be meaningless to me.
Kohli started his Test and one-day international career in 2011 when Dhoni was captain.
According to Kohli, “the respect and connection you feel for someone, that manifests in this way.” There are some connections that are trustworthy and secure.
After the World Cup last year, the once top-ranked Test batsman did give up the T20 captaincy and was promptly fired as a one-day skipper, ending the worst stretch of his international career.
Rohit Sharma took over as captain of all three formats in January, replacing Kohli, who had not scored an international century since November 2019.
Some critics, including former World Cup captain Kapil Dev, even advocated for Kohli’s removal.
