As India prepares for the high-voltage clash against Pakistan, former captain Virat Kohli surprised fans with his new post on Twitter about MS Dhoni. Kohli penned a heart-warming tribute to MS Dhoni, stating that the time spent under his tutelage was “the most enjoyable and exciting period in my career”.

It came out of nowhere, as for all the heart-on-sleeves approach on the field, Kohli rarely shows his emotional side on social media, which usually brims with brand promotions and regular updates from the tour. Many fans started wondering if this meant something else in the larger scheme of things. But some pointed out he posted on 25th August, because the sum total of his and Dhoni’s jersey number is 25 (7+18).

“Being this man’s trusted deputy was the most enjoyable and exciting period in my career. Our partnerships would always be special to me forever. 7+18,” wrote Kohli.

Kohli started his career under Dhoni’s stewardship and has always acknowledged the latter’s role, especially in Test cricket when many wrote him off quite early. In 2014, Dhoni quit his Test captaincy in the middle of the Australia tour, and Kohli was announced as his successor. Three years later, Kohli also took the baton of limited-overs captaincy from Dhoni.

The picture he shared on Thursday, in which Kohli is raising his bat to the spectators while Dhoni seems to be clapping in the background, is from the 2016 ICC T20I World Cup game against Australia. After a false start, the duo steadied the innings, with Kohli upping the tempo to slam a match-winning 82.

But things have changed a lot now. It has been over 1000 days since Kohli last reached the triple-figure scores, and across formats, the runs have become a scarce commodity.

His archaic approach in the shortest format of the game has become a pressing issue for Team India. There’s no sword hanging over his spot yet, but that could change soon if he doesn’t overcome the lean patch in the near future.

Lead Image: BCCI