Being the best in the world comes with the tremendous pressure of continuing to be the best in the world. Human minds are not equipped to give up on a position like that easily. It makes sense, too. Now, what happens when you are under that pressure? One can only assume it makes a lot of things blurry, as the person tries to maintain their focus on the task at hand.
Generally, this is when relationships fall apart. However, our two brilliant captains, both GOATs in their own rights, have succeeded in maintaining a bond full of respect for each other despite being contemporaries. It’s heartwarming, to say the least, and here are some examples to support the claim.
1. When Virat Kohli spoke our minds and said, “MS will always be my captain”. For someone who is a part of the generation that associates the word ‘skipper’ with ‘Dhoni’, it was special that the current leader would give meaning to that emotion and respect it like that.
2. And there is a reason why Virat thinks that way. MS has always had his back. The former captain doesn’t speak much about this, but Kohli once elaborated on how Dhoni’s constant support in the start of his career, shaped him as a cricketer.
When I walked into the team he had the option of trying someone else after few games, although I grabbed my chances but for me to get that kind of backing, it was very crucial for me. Also, he gave me an opportunity to bat at No 3 because not many youngsters get to play at No 3.
3. When Virat wrote this touching post for Dhoni when the latter announced his retirement from international cricket.
“I’ve always said this and I will say it again, you will always be my Captain,” #TeamIndia Skipper @imVkohli pays his tribute to @msdhoni who announced his retirement from international cricket at 1929 hours yesterday.#ThankYouMSD pic.twitter.com/U6uWlow4lB
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 16, 2020
4. When MS said that Kohli was “already close to being a legend” back in 2018. He further added, “He is the best…I am very happy for him. And the way he has batted everywhere and in the last few years, he has just been brilliant”.
5. Though, to be honest, he was always aware of Kohli’s potential and has always been very vocal about it. This is what he had said about Kohli back in 2016, “If you compare the stats, especially when it’s happening in India, you’ll see there are lot of individuals who should bat at three, but Virat gets an edge”.
6. When Dhoni confessed that he thinks Virat Kohli will win more games for India than he has, without any sense of jealousy or even hesitation. His words were, “If it is [about] the numbers, I think Virat and this team will win more games than me in all the formats”.
7. Lastly, this small, beautiful moment between the two that explains it all.
We got quite lucky with the captains, didn’t we?
