Following India’s defeat against Pakistan in the Super 4 stage of the 2022 Asia Cup on Sunday (September 4) at the Dubai International Stadium, Virat Kohli dropped a bombshell in the post-match press conference by claiming that no one apart from MS Dhoni got in touch with him after he decided to leave Test captaincy earlier this year.
“When I left the Test captaincy, MS Dhoni was the only one among all the cricketers I had played with before who texted me. A lot of people have my number but he was the only one who texted me. It comes from the genuine respect that we have for each other.
“There is no insecurity from either end in our equation. These things matter. I live my life with honesty and these things matter for me. I just want to say this, if I have to tell someone about their game, I reach out individually. Even if I have to reach out to them, I do it personally,” said Kohli on a question about how he has reacted to constant talks in the media around him.
However, Ex-Indian cricketer Madan Lal who was an integral part of the 1983 World Cup-winning side was unhappy with the timing of Kohli’s comments and said that the Indian team are in the middle of an important tournament. Lal further stated that it is upon Kohli himself to work on his problems.
“Virat shouldn’t have made such a comment at such a time. See you are playing important matches, in the middle of a tournament where you need to qualify for the final. It’s great that you have returned to form. Even if someone calls or doesn’t call, if you are in trouble you have to work on it. He should have said it a couple of months earlier as well. If you’re not in the best of nicks, you have to approach it yourself. Ego shouldn’t clash here,” said Lal on Sports Tak.
Kohli has put a poor run of form behind him and scored back-to-back half-centuries against Hong Kong and Pakistan respectively. The ex-Indian skipper will be next seen in action on Tuesday (September 6) against Sri Lanka in a must-win clash.
