Sunil Gavaskar Credits MS Dhoni? Check it out!
Sunil Gavaskar believes that MS Dhoni played a pivotal role in shaping Virat Kohli into a modern-day batting great. Gavaskar points out that Kohli’s international career had a rocky beginning, describing it as ‘stop-start,’ but emphasizes that Dhoni’s unwavering faith in Kohli’s abilities was crucial.
Kohli, who had showcased his potential at the junior level by leading India to victory in the U-19 ODI World Cup in 2007, started his international journey under Dhoni’s captaincy before eventually succeeding him as the team’s leader across all formats.
Gavaskar said on Star Sports on Friday , “When Virat Kohli started his career, it was a stop-start career. The fact that MS Dhoni gave him that little extra momentum is why he is the Kohli we see today.
Sunil Gavaskar Credits MS Dhoni? Check it out!
Gavaskar’s recent comments follow his response to Virat Kohli’s criticism of commentators who questioned his strike rate in the middle overs and against spinners during the ongoing IPL 2024. Kohli faced criticism for his relatively slow batting in the middle overs while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
However, after scoring a blistering fifty in a successful run chase of 201 against the Gujarat Titans, Kohli was asked about the concerns over his strike rate. The former RCB captain did not hold back in his reply.
“All the people who talk about strike rates and me not playing spin well are the ones who love talking about this stuff. But for me, it’s just about winning the game for the team. And there’s a reason why you do it for 15 years – because you’ve done this day in day out. You’ve won games for your teams,” Kohli had said.
“I am not quite sure if you’ve been in that situation yourself to sit and speak about the game from a box. I don’t really think it’s the same thing. So for me, it’s just about doing my job. People can talk about their own ideas and assumptions of the game, but those who have done it day in, day out know what’s happening, and it’s kind of a muscle memory for me now,” he added.
