"The only person who, apart from my childhood coach and family, genuinely reached out to me was MS Dhoni" - Virat Kohli on his difficult phase

Star Team India batter Virat Kohli recently stated that MS Dhoni was the only person apart from his family and childhood coach who reached out to him during his rough patch.

Speaking on the "RCB Podcast Season 2", Kohli revealed that contacting Dhoni is difficult, implying that he seldom checks his phone. However, he said that the former India captain himself reached out to him on two occasions, which really aided him amid his lean patch with the bat.

Speaking about how Dhoni helped him when he was in the middle of a difficult phase, Kohli said:

"What is interesting is that throughout this phase apart from Anushka, who has been the biggest source of strength for me because she has been with me throughout this whole time and she has seen me very closely as how have I felt, things that I have gone through, the kind of things that have happened…the only person who, apart from my childhood coach and family…genuinely reached out to me was MS Dhoni."

The 34-year-old disclosed that Dhoni in a text message wrote how people often forget to ask people how he is doing when he is perceived as a strong individual. Kohli highlighted that those words made him realize that he needed to step back and prioritize his well-being.

"He reached out to me and you can rarely get in touch with him," the former RCB skipper added. "If I call him on any random day, 99 percent he will not pick up (the phone), because he just does not look at the phone.

"So, for him to reach out to me…twice it has happened now and one of the things that he’d mentioned in the message while reaching out to me was 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 (Dhoni’s words) hit home for me because I have always been looked at as very confident, mentally very strong, and can endure any circumstances and find a way and show us the way," Kohli continued. "Sometimes, what you realize is that at any given point of time in life as a human being, you need to take a couple of steps backwards, understand how you are doing, how your wellbeing is placed."

Kohli has, on several occasions, acknowledged that MS Dhoni has supported him through thick and thin. The two cricket stars share a great camaraderie, having shared the Indian dressing room for several years.

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"He understands it because he has been there himself" - Virat Kohli on MS Dhoni extending support

Virat Kohli further went on to add that MS Dhoni was able to understand what he was going through because he himself had been in a similar position in the past.

The star batter opined that nobody other than Dhoni would have been able to understand his situation.

"So, there are not many places, for the people who have played the game for a long period, as strong individuals, they can go and explain in a way that the other person can understand," Kohli elaborated. "That’s why I mentioned this particular incident because MS Dhoni knows exactly what is going on, he understands it because he has been there himself.

"He has experienced what I have experienced right now. So, it is only out of experience, and feeling those feelings in that moment is the only way you can be truly compassionate and understanding towards another individual who is going through the same thing."

Notably, Kohli was subjected to a lot of criticism as he endured a rut that lasted for almost three years. The right-handed batter hit his purple patch yet again at the Asia Cup last year in the UAE.

He also made a significant impact with the bat at the T20 World Cup 2022, finishing as the highest run-getter with 296 runs from six games.

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