"For me that is such a blessing": Virat Kohli on message he received from MS Dhoni during his lean patch

Former India captain Virat Kohli showed one and all why he is called the 'King' after his performances in the Asia Cup 2022 and the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022. However, just months prior to the tournaments, he had gone through a rough patch. While it was not that he was not scoring runs, it was not what fans and critics expected of him.

Kohli, on numerous occasions, has said that MS Dhoni is one of the only people who reached out to him. He had previously said that the former India cricketer had even texted him when Kohli announced his decision of stepping down as India’s Test skipper.

Kohli, in a Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) podcast, spoke about his bond with MSD and how he felt after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper reached out to him.

"The only person who has genuinely reached out to me has been MS Dhoni. And for me that is such a blessing to know that I could have such a strong bond and such a strong relationship with someone who is such a senior to me where things are, it is a friendship that is based on a lot of mutual respect. It is one of the things he mentioned in the same message reaching out to me, 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 hit home to me, it was like this is it," Kohli said on RCB Podcast.

"I have always been looked at as someone who is very confident, very mentally strong, and can endure any situation and circumstance and show us the way. Sometimes what you realize is that at any given point of life, you need to take a couple of steps back and understand how you are doing," he added.

Before the Asia Cup 2022, Kohli had taken a break and returned to the game and looked in great touch. He even notched up his maiden T20I century in India's last Top 4 game against Afghanistan, which was also his 71st international ton.

Currently, in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022, he is the top run scorer. He has already smashed three 50+ scores for India and helped the Men in Blue in their win against arch-rivals Pakistan. 

The two Asian Giants have reached the semi-finals and fans can only expect another epic clash between the two cricket-loving teams.