A few years ago, Virat Kohli was going through tough times. He wasn’t in best of his form, struggled for runs and subsequent lost his captaincy of the team. As a professional player, everyone understands that there are going to be tough times. But when unfavourable situations, it’s all about backing the player.
For Kohli, it was MS Dhoni who checked on his during his bad days. There was no other player from the present team who asked Kohli about his times or even showed some empathy.
While talking on RCB podcast, Virat Kohli got emotional talking about the bad patches he had. The player of his calibre overcame all the times but it is really important to understand what supported you in your bad times. Virat Kohli certainly admires MS Dhoni for his camaraderie and support in tough times.
“What is interesting is that throughout this phase apart from Anushka, who has been the biggest source of strength for me because she has been with me throughout this whole time and she has seen me very closely as how have I felt, things that I have gone through, the kind of things that have happened…the only person who, apart from my childhood coach and family…genuinely reached out to me has been MS Dhoni.
“He reached out to me and you can rarely get in touch with him. If I call him on any random day, 99 percent he will not pick up (the phone), because he just does not look at the phone. So, for him to reach out to me…twice it has happened now and one of the things that he’d mentioned in the message while reaching out to me was that: ‘when you are expected to be strong and looked at as a strong individual people forget to ask how are you doing?’
“So, it (Dhoni’s words) hit home for me because I have always been looked at as someone who is very confident, mentally very strong, who can endure any circumstances and find a way and show us the way. Sometimes, what you realise is that at any given point of time in life as a human being you need to take a couple of steps backwards, understand how you are doing, how your wellbeing is placed,” he said.
This is how MS Dhoni showed why he is forever captain of some players. The advice proved to be remedy for Kohli who took his time and instead of pretending to be strong, he developed himself in what was really needed for his wellbeing.
“So, there are not many places, for the people who have played the game for a long period, as strong individuals, they can go and explain in a way that the other person can understand. That’s why I mentioned this particular incident because MS Dhoni knows exactly what is going on, he understands it because he has been there himself,” he added.
“He has experienced what I have experienced right now. So, it is only out of experience, and feeling those feelings in that moment is the only way you can be truly compassionate and understanding towards another individual who is going through the same thing.”