Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has shared that he has rarely seen Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni bonding off the field. He added that while Dhoni liked being in his room, Kohli wanted to go out and explore new places as well. Kohli made his international debut under Dhoni’s captaincy in the first ODI of India’s away tour of Sri Lanka in 2008 as well. Although Dhoni retired from Tests in 2014, they continued playing together in white-ball cricket until the 2019 World Cup as well.

On ‘The Great Indian Cricket Show’ on DD Sports, Bangar said, “I don’t think they have spent much time off the field because MS Dhoni likes being in his room only. Although he always had an open door, anyone could go to his room and talk, it wasn’t possible for him to go out and spend time because people wanted his attention. Whenever such opportunities were available, he didn’t like going out, but Virat Kohli was somebody who always wanted to go out, go to new places or new restaurants. So I have rarely seen them spending time off the field.”

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However, Sanjay Bangar also shared MS Dhoni’s role in mentoring Virat Kohli.

“The biggest thing is that he was his first captain. When a young player comes, a captain has to first do a little hand-holding. When a new player comes, he needs to be made a little secure. Either the coaches or the captain does those talks. Secondly, if a player fails, can he create extra opportunities for him? MS Dhoni did that extremely well in Virat Kohli’s career in the initial phases. Once they realized each other’s importance, it became a mutual-respect relationship. I wouldn’t say they have a relationship of friends, but they have mutual respect for each other,” Sanjay Bangar concluded.