'When MS Dhoni played under Virat, we saw...': Kohli's childhood coach makes stunning 'big brother' remark

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma opened up about the unbreakable bond between the former Indian captains (Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni).

Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has credited former Indian skipper MS Dhoni for supporting the premier batter when the ace cricketer was going through a tumultuous phase in his career. Not long ago, Kohli had revealed that Dhoni was the only ex-teammate who checked in on him after the batting icon stepped down as the leader of the Indian side in the longest format.

Kohli had revealed that Dhoni was the only ex-teammate who checked in on him after the batting icon stepped down as the leader of the Indian side (Getty Images)

India's most successful captain in the history of Test cricket, Kohli succeeded Dhoni when the batting maestro was appointed as the red-ball captain in 2014. Kohli, who learned the captaincy trade from his predecessor, recently spoke at length about his cordial relationship with Dhoni on the RCB Podcast. Kohli revealed that he was handpicked as the captain by Dhoni when the latter opted to relinquish the top job in international cricket.

Speaking to India News Sports amid the four-match Test series between Australia and hosts Australia, Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar opened up about the unbreakable bond between the former Indian captains. “Virat [Kohli] has always respected MS Dhoni and considers him a big brother. When Dhoni played under Virat, we saw Virat go at the long on during the death overs,” Sharma said.

"He knew that his big brother was there to handle things. This allowed him to field in the deep, as you need to have good fielders in those positions towards the backend of the innings. I really appreciate Dhoni for supporting Virat at a time when others targeted him," he added.

Kohli stepped down as India's T20I captain after the 2021 World Cup. The 34-year-old relinquished Test captaincy after India's series loss to the Proteas in South Africa. Team India's most successful Test captain recorded 40 wins out of 68 red-ball matches in the international arena. Kohli won 13 more Test matches than ex-India skipper Dhoni. Only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh have recorded more wins than Kohli as captain in Test cricket.

Reflecting on Kohli's overall captaincy stint, Rajkumar hailed the veteran batter for revolutionising the fitness culture in the Indian team. "Virat Kohli's biggest achievement was that he changed the fitness culture in Indian cricket. The team was the fittest during his captaincy. He did it himself first and led from the front. Earlier, players didn't do weight training," Sharma added.