Gautam Gambhir lauds MS Dhoni for backing Virat Kohli despite horror 2014 England tour

Former Indian opening batsman Gautam Gambhir recently credited MS Dhoni for turning around skipper Virat Kohli’s career for the better. MS Dhoni, who was captain of the Indian team that toured England in 2014, backed a young Virat Kohli for the long run, even though the batsman managed only 134 across 10 Test innings to cap off a disappointing tour. Gautam Gambhir believes that it was because of former captain’s backing that Virat Kohli started performing in all three formats for the Indian team in the coming years.  

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Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman discuss MS Dhoni’s impact on Virat Kohli

Former cricketers Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman recently appeared on Star Sports’ show Cricket Connected. In the show, the two talked about Virat Kohli’s journey from 2014 England series to becoming one of the best batsmen in the world today. VVS Laxman described Kohli’s 2014 performance in England as a catalyst for the change we have seen in his batting in Test cricket.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also praised his staggering comeback in the subsequent Indian Test tours in overseas countries. Notably, Virat Kohli scored 692 runs (in eight innings) against a Mitchell Johnson-fuelled Australian attack later that same year.

While Gautam Gambhir agreed with VVS Laxman, he went ahead and praised the then Indian captain MS Dhoni. The 2011 World Cup-winning cricketer, who himself was part of the tour, said that series could have ended a “lot of careers”. But Gautam Gambhir believes that MS Dhoni gave a “kind of security” to Virat Kohli that helped the Delhi-born batsman to go from strength-to-strength in international cricket.

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Virat Kohli centuries and stats

Virat Kohli’s batting stats boast of 27 tons in Tests and 43 in ODIs. With 70 international hundreds across all formats, the prolific run-scorer is currently placed just third behind the likes of Sachin Tendulkar (100) and Ricky Ponting (71) in terms of most century-makers. Apart from Virat Kohli centuries, the stylish right-handed batsman has also slammed 24 half-centuries in 82 T20Is. The ‘Men in Blue’ skipper is also the only cricketer in the world to simultaneously hold a batting average of above 50 in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

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Image credits: AP