Captain Kohli chats with mentor Dhoni during Sharjah sandstorm
As the toss between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings on Friday got delayed due to a sandstorm in Sharjah, skippers Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni were spotted exchanging a few words on the field. The much-awaited contest is potentially the last battle between Kohli, the RCB captain, and CSK spearhead Dhoni.
"Sandstorm Alert. Toss delayed in Sharjah by 10 mins!" tweeted the IPL along with the video of Kohli and Dhoni having a word with each other while umpires and match referee Javagal Srinath inspected the pitch.
RCB are currently third in the points table with 10 points in eight games. CSK, with 12 points from eight matches, are on the second spot at the moment, with an opportunity to clinch the top spot.
While RCB incurred a crushing nine-wicket defeat against KKR, CSK started off their UAE leg campaign with a comprehensive 20-run victory over defending champions MI.
On the eve of Bangalore's UAE leg opener against Kolkata, Kohli had announced that he will be stepping down as the skipper of the franchise. Kohli's announcement came shortly after his decision to relinquish his Team India captaincy in T20Is after the impending ICC T20 World Cup.
"This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I'll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me," Kohli said in a statement issued by RCB.
"It wasn't an easy decision but one that has been well thought of and in the best interest of this wonderful franchise."
Kohli and Dhoni will reunite in the World T20 with the latter acting as mentor of the Indian team. Dhoni will be working alongside head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Kohli to help end India’s eight-year wait for an ICC trophy.
