Sharjah, September 24: As a stand storm engulfed the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, it was clear that the 7 PM IST toss would not take place for the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings on Friday (September 24).
But Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni used that chance to catch up for a prolonged chat. They have been team-mates till not so distant past in the Team India dressing room and Kohli has often spoken about Dhoni as his respected senior and role model in many matters.
So, it was not really surprising to see Kohli and Dhoni engaging themselves in conversation. But if you peel the outer layer, then it carries a lot more meaning and undertones.
Dhoni has recently been appointed as the mentor of Team India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and one might just wonder whether the Jharkhand man has already started playing the mentor role. Though Kohli was the one was doing most of the talking, Dhoni was also seen offering a few words.
We may not know what had transpired between the two, we can safely assume that the mentor and protégé were discussing matters pertaining to cricket and the T20 World Cup, to be played in the UAE in between October and November, too could have been a topic.
It may also be noted that this was the first time, Kohli and Dhoni were catching up with each other in person after the latter was appointed the mentor, at least in public.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah had announced that Dhoni would mentor India during the mega event, that India won back in 2007 under Dhoni, and he had held discussions with all parties concerned - captain Kohli, coach Ravi Shastri and other senior members of the team like Rohit Sharma.
Shah said all of them welcomed the move as the presence of Captain Cool, who possess a remarkably sharp cricketing brain, in the dressing room would immensely benefit the team in a high-pressure tournament like T20 World Cup.