Kohli scored 60 but India lost to Pakistan by 5 wickets in the Super-4 clash.
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli announced his return to form with a magnificent 60 against arch-rivals Pakistan in a Super-4 clash of Asia Cup 2022 against Pakistan on Sunday (September 4) in Dubai. Though India lost by 5 wickets in a thrilling last-over finish, Kohli scoring back-to-back fifties would have gladdened a lot of his well-wishers.
Kohli faced 44 balls for his 60 and struck four boundaries and a six to keep India's innings going despite regular loss of wickets. India finished with 181/7 but that wasn't enough in the end as Pakistan chased down the target with a ball to spare with five wickets still in hand.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Kohli revealed something that no one knew before. He disclosed that after he quit India's Test captaincy after the 2-1 series defeat against South Africa in January, no one called him, expect one person and he was none other than MS Dhoni.
Kohli, who shares a special bond with Dhoni, that goes much above what they did together for India on the field for almost a decade. The friendship and respect remains intact and Kohli still cherishes every moment he got to spend and learn from 'Captain Cool' during his career.
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Kohli said during the press conference, "When I left Test captaincy, I got a message from only one person, with whom I played in the past. It was MS Dhoni. A lot of people have my number, a lot of people give me suggestions, a lot of people talk about my game on TV. But out of those people who had my number, I didn't get a message from anyone else barring Dhoni,"
"You have respect, you have a genuine connection with a few people and it looks like that (Dhoni messaging him). It's a two-way security, I don't want anything from them nor do they want anything from me," he added. "I don't feel insecure with them, nor do they feel insecure with me,"
He further said, "I just want to say this, if I have to tell someone about their game, I reach out individually. Even if I have to help someone, I do it personally. If you are giving a suggestion in front of the entire world, it doesn't value a lot to me. You can talk to me one-on-one if you have to suggest something to me. You genuinely then want me to do well. I lead my life with a lot of honesty.
"I am not saying that it doesn't matter to me. I played my cricket honestly. Till the time I play, I would play my game honestly." he added.
Kohli's decision to quit Test captaincy stunned everyone as he is by far the most successful Indian Test captain of all-time and one of the most successful in world cricket. But a series of events starting from him quitting T20I captaincy to being removed as ODI captain by the selectors, eventually led to him deciding that he has had enough as a captain.
It was a difficult time for him as his own batting form suffered and recently he accepted there have been times lately when he felt he was faking it on the field and did not seem to be as up for cricket games as he usually is. However a complete break of one month from the game has seemingly worked wonders for him as he looks freshened up and his form seems to be getting better with each outing.
(With India Today inputs)