Dhoni up against Kohli makes for a fascinating contest: Sunil Gavaskar

You could call the match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Chennai Super Kings a game between the guru’s team and the shishya’s team. The guru of course is the incomparable MS Dhoni and the shishya is the irrepressible Virat Kohli.

Dhoni was the captain when Virat made his debut in Tests and ODIs and has flowered under captain cool’s leadership. Dhoni is not one to believe too much in team meetings and lets the players play freely. On the field too, he never loses his temper, which is why he is called captain cool.

It’s only when the team takes a wicket that you see Dhoni getting excited but otherwise his expressions hardly change. Yes, there is the occasional stare at a fielder who has been slow to react and for a throw which is not good but even if a catch is dropped or a bowler bowls a boundary ball, there won’t be any change in Dhoni’s expression.
That makes the players under him appreciate Dhoni even more and try even harder, for the last thing a player wants is to be humiliated by the skipper in front of a crowd, be it on the ground or watching on TV.

That makes him even more nervous for the rest of the game. Perhaps the player does get told off in the privacy of the dressing room but that he won’t mind because he knows he has made a mistake and needs to be told that.
Kohli perhaps is the exact opposite for he wears his emotions on his sleeve and his elation and disappointment are all too readily captured on TV.

However, one can see that he is making a huge effort not to lose his cool when a catch is dropped or there is a misfield by the fielder. As he grows into the captaincy he will also keep his emotions in check especially if there is a disappointment on the field.
Having won the last game, thanks to AB de Villiers’ phenomenal hitting, RCB are on a roll and will be hoping to keep the winning momentum going. They will also be hoping that their skipper gets back to the century form that he displayed in the IPL a couple of seasons back. With pitches being true, it’s not been easy for the bowlers at all.