"Happy birthday Mahi!" - Steve Smith opens up on playing alongside MS Dhoni

Star Australian batsman Steve Smith wished Indian legend MS Dhoni on his 40th birthday on Wednesday. Smith also went nostalgic about the times they played together at the Rising Pune Supergiant, adding that he loved every bit of it.

Although Smith captained the side in 2017 instead of MS Dhoni, the latter was always seen giving the Aussie insights on field placements. The duo worked well together, taking the team to the IPL 2017 final, where they lost to the Mumbai Indians by just one run.

In a Q & A session on Steve Smith's Instagram account, the Aussie star opened up on his playing days alongside MS Dhoni.

"Terrific guy. Had the pleasure of playing alongside him at Pune. Great to play alongside. And I saw in my feed today that it is his birthday. So Happy Birthday Mahi! Hope you have a great day buddy," Steve Smith stated.

Apart from MS Dhoni, Steve Smith also opened up on his relations with Kohli

Ahead of the first Test against Australia, @imVkohli and @stevesmith49 recall memories from the 2014-15 series.Watch the full interview here - https://t.co/3jEYM9zxzV #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/d0jpVSNnPd

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 16, 2020

Another Indian player who is now good friends with Steve Smith is Indian skipper Virat Kohli. The duo have had some fierce face-offs on the field in the past, but it all changed with one incident.

During the 2019 World Cup game between India and Australia, a group of Indian fans were booing Steve Smith due to his involvement in the Sandpapergate scandal. However, Kohli, who was batting at the time, insisted they stop booing and show respect to their opponents.

This helped the bond between the duo to grow and they also had a fun Q & A session when India toured Australia in 2020-21. The duo went candid about their lives and the camaraderie between the two was there for everyone to see.

Recalling the session in his Instagram chat, Smith admitted that it helped him to get to know Kohli a little better.

"I really enjoyed the Q & A between us last summer. Was good fun, great insights and great to get to know Virat a bit more on the personal level. Really love the guy," Steve Smith said.