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Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has revealed an interesting episode related to ex-India skipper MS Dhoni and current Team India leader Virat Kohli. Manjreakar has disclosed how Dhoni had backed Kohli during the 2011-12 Australia tour.
Back then, the Australia tour was quite essential for a young Kohli to make a mark in the longest format. However, Kohli did not have a good time in the first two tests as he scored just 11, 0, 23 and 9.
While speaking to Sony Sports network, Manjrekar recalled that Kohli was about to be dropped for the final two Tests, but Dhoni came to his rescue. Kohli justified the move of Dhoni by ending the tour with 44, 75 along with his maiden hundred during the final Test in Adelaide.
“Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. He always finds ways to score runs. The hundred that he scored in the 2011/12 series, India lost it 0-4. They’d lost to England 0-4. And I think that was the only century scored by an Indian in that series. He was a young man who actually was on the verge of getting dropped after Sydney. Dhoni backed him; he played in Perth scored a 70, and then he got that hundred,” said Manjrekar.
Kohli never looked back after Australia tour
Since that Australia tour, Kohli has evolved to become the best all-format batsman over the years. He is the only cricketer to amass over 20,000 international runs in the previous decade
In Tests, the 32-year-old has scored 27 centuries with 7,240 runs. In ODIs, Kohli has scored 12,040 runs with 43 centuries and 60 half-tons. When it comes to the shortest format, Kohli is the leading run-scorer with 2928 runs to his name.
Team India is currently preparing for the four-match Test series opener, to be played under lights at the Adelaide Oval, from December 17-21. However, after the first Test, Kohli will fly back to India to attend the birth of his first child. India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in the remaining three matches.
