Overview:
He recalled MS Dhoni stepping up at the presser, absorbing the pressure before it could snowball into a ‘Dhawan vs Kohli’ headline.
Shikhar Dhawan’s latest autobiography isn’t just a stroll down memory lane filled with cover drives, milestones, and locker-room laughs. It also shed light on the tense tour of Australia in 2014-15. Dhawan wrote about the much-hyped fallout with Virat Kohli. MS Dhoni had diffused the dressing-room drama in his Captain Cool style.
Dhawan mentioned that after a blow to his hand, he was forced to retire hurt and couldn’t take guard the next morning as planned. Virat Kohli, he recalls, had to get ready in a hurry. What was merely a change in the batting order soon snowballed into whispers of friction and confrontation.
More than trophies and series wins, Dhoni made sure to build a wall between dressing room and media
— Pujara’s Kiki (@FlyingSlip_) January 1, 2025
He believed in sacredness of it and he was highly critical about it. He sent out a clear message to his entire squad that if anyone leaks any information from the dressing room… pic.twitter.com/iCNdNLDBr3
What stood out for Dhawan wasn’t the chatter, but what followed. He recalled MS Dhoni stepping up at the presser, absorbing the pressure before it could snowball into a ‘Dhawan vs Kohli’ headline. When the inevitable query about dressing-room tension surfaced, Dhoni said: “Whoever came up with this story should be writing scripts for Marvel or Warner Bros!”
In seconds, Dhoni dismissed the rumours. For Dhawan, it was a classic Dhoni moment laced with humour and the perfect blend of control.