Team manager asked Virat Kohli to drop out, but MS Dhoni offered to quit captaincy: Pakistan's Umar Akmal drops bombshell

Updated July 1, 2024, 6:11 PM IST

Virat Kohli has seen many ups and downs in his cricketing journey, growing from a talented young player to one of the greatest players of all time. His early days were marked by irregularities, but he eventually found his footing and began to dominate the international cricket scene.

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

HIGHLIGHTS

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni share a great bond.
Virat Kohli has often spoken about MS Dhoni’s influence on his career.
Mrs Dhoni trusted Virat Kohli’s abilities, which ultimately paid off.

Virat Kohli And Ms. Dhoni share a well-documented camaraderie. DhoniThe senior player handed over the captaincy reins to Kohli in 2017. Their mutual respect and understanding on the field has been the hallmark of Indian cricket in recent years.

Adding another layer to it, the Pakistani batsman Oumar Akmal Akmal made a sensational statement about a past incident involving Kohli and Dhoni. In a recent interview on a Pakistani YouTube show, Akmal claimed that during his time in the Pakistan team, he witnessed how a team manager, whose identity he did not reveal, pleaded for Kohli’s exclusion from the Indian team. However, MS Dhoni, the captain at the time, is said to have taken a strong stand against the move. Akmal claims Dhoni threatened to resign as captain if Kohli was sidelined.

Recalling the 2013 episode during Pakistan’s tour of India, Akmal said, “We were having dinner. Dhoni, Raina, Yuvraj Singh and even Shoaib Malik were present. We had won the series and there was a lot of pressure on Virat Kohli because he didn’t have a successful series.”

“The manager came to Dhoni and told me not to face Virat in the one-day international final. I looked at Dhoni and he said: fine. I didn’t go home for six months; Raina will be captain. Book two tickets for Virat and me, the manager searched for words and finally said, “Please continue with Kohli,” he said.

“I was stunned and asked Dhoni why he said that. Then Dhoni explained to me that Virat was the best player and just because he was going through a tough time for three games, I should not let him down,” Akmal said, highlighting the unwavering support Dhoni showed Kohli during a difficult time, strengthening their bond.

This incident shows the confidence and faith that Dhoni had in Kohli’s abilities, which eventually paid off as Kohli became a world-class cricketer and later succeeded Dhoni as captain.