The bond between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, as explained by Captain Cool himself

In a game that's played with a team, camaraderie and mutual respect are what keep the mates together. Across the history of Indian cricket, there have been many iconic duos, one of them being former Indian captain MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. The duo is currently in action in IPL 2025 for their respective franchises, CSK and RCB. Debuting in 2008, Virat Kohli grew under the wings of Dhoni as he went on to flourish as a legend of the game. It has now been years since Dhoni retired from international cricket. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, who succeeded Dhoni as the captain of the Indian cricket team, has also concluded his leadership tenure. However, any interaction, no matter how minute, still fills Indian and cricket fans with warmth. The "Mahirat" bond is idolized as one of the best to have come out of Indian cricket, with both of them never failing to hail each other whenever the chance arises.

A senior-junior equation defines the bond between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli

MS Dhoni, in his latest interaction, opened up about the kind of relationship he shares with Virat Kohli. On the surface, with their time on the field together now turned into a memory, it's easy to perceive it as friendship. However, Captain Cool explained that there still exists "a line" between them. Kohli's entry into the senior men's team materialized under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Under his skipper, Kohli went on to smash multiple batting records.

An aggressive lad and a fiery presence on the field, Kohli was earmarked by the calm and composed Dhoni as the next leader. Kohli swiftly earned the vice-captaincy spot behind Dhoni. Thus, when the Test mace-winning captain realized his time in red-ball cricket was up, Dhoni passed the captaincy baton to Virat Kohli, announcing his Test retirement on December 30, 2014, following the Boxing Day Test Down Under.

Moreover, the captain relinquished his leadership in white-ball cricket in 2017, providing ample time for Virat Kohli to ease into the leadership role ahead of the 2019 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, in their time together on the field, Dhoni and Kohli exemplified seamlessness in team proceedings. Kohli never hesitated to pound his captain with unending questions, all related to improving his instincts as a leader. Dhoni tried to inculcate it all, seeing a new legend in the making. However, the captain-pupil bond remains the core of their relationship.

The "line" referred to by Dhoni meant that there's a senior-junior equation that Dhoni and Kohli still maintain in their bond. Winning the Test captaincy in 2014 and the white-ball captaincy later, Kohli, on many occasions, has expressed that he always sees Dhoni as his captain, cementing the same in a social media post dating back to 2016, captioned, "Always my captain."

"Between me and Virat, right from the start, he was someone who wanted to contribute. He was never happy with a 40 or a 60; he wanted to score a 100 and be not out till the end. So, that hunger was there right from the start. The way he improved his batting and his will to perform are what kept him going. He raised his fitness levels and was always there on the field. So he was always like that. He would come and talk, 'What I could have done now? I could have done this,'" Dhoni said.

"We had a lot of conversations, and that opened us up. Again, I gave him an honest opinion. Things like 'You could have done this, delayed it by an over.' Or 'this was a risk that you had to take.' Just putting in the point, and that's how the relationship grew. It was more like a captain and a newcomer at that point in time, but once you keep interacting, you become friends. But I still feel we have that line in the middle – about the senior and a junior – although still friends. We have that companionship now that both of us are not captains, which means that we can have more time between us before the toss."

While the transition from Captain MS Dhoni to Captain Virat Kohli was as seamless as it gets, the same didn't stand true when Kohli exited the position. Any avid follower of the game knew that the situation surrounding Kohli's exit as the Test captain of India was not ideal. In the later phase of the event, as Kohli battled through a slump in his batting form, he opened up about the hardships. The batter had to take a month-long break from the sport to bring his mind to peace and balance. During that break, Kohli expressed that he didn't even touch the bat. For a lover of the game to toil through such a phase is always hard-hitting. Following the incident, amidst mounting criticism from the fraternity, Kohli brought Dhoni into the conversation.

Virat Kohli, in a bold admission, explained that it's easy to nitpick and take digs at a player during his dry run. However, none of the people, including several former cricketers who analyzed and criticized his game on the screen, took the effort to advise him during his low time. Kohli mentioned that the only player to reach out to him during his tough time was MS Dhoni, who texted his former vice-captain. The gesture meant a lot to Kohli at the time. However, what comprised the text that Dhoni sent to Kohli remains undisclosed, and Dhoni intends to keep it that way.

"I'll talk about the relationship, not the message. I like to keep it the way it is because what it does is it lets other cricketers come to me and ask if they have anything on their minds. 'Say anything to him and it won't come out, won't reach a third person.' So that trust is very important; especially for cricketers who you haven't played with," Dhoni replied when queried about the message he sent to Kohli.

Meanwhile, both legends are currently in action in IPL 2025. Both RCB and CSK have won their opening games of the season. Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have both stepped down from their captaincy roles in the league. However, they still remain utterly crucial picks for their respective teams. In the KKR vs RCB season opener, Kohli remained unbeaten, as his fifty in the chase guided RCB to victory against the defending champions. Now, their second game in the season is lined up against each other with CSK vs RCB scheduled on Friday, 28 March at Chepauk.