MS Dhoni's reputation of being incommunicado in times of need is growing by the day.
Last year this time, VVS Laxman, in the middle of making a tough call on retirement, found him out of reach. Dhoni didn't even reply to his text messages. This time, Virat Kohli seems to be sending text messages to outer space.
The man tipped to be India's future captain has just returned home after leading his team to a 5-0 thrashing of Zimbabwe.
On Wednesday, he acknowledged the lessons he's learnt from Dhoni but mentioned his skipper's habit. "Well, when he goes away on holidays, it is very hard to contact him. I…I tried to message him on the phone but I couldn't reach him. But I'll be seeing him soon I guess. And I'll speak to him about it," said Virat, almost trying to suppress a smile.
Nevertheless, he admires the skipper for remaining calm under pressure, something he wants to emulate, though it looks as if he himself has been hitting a wall while trying to decipher his mantra.
Asked what kind of tips Dhoni has given him, Virat said, "He's a guy who doesn't say much. I keep talking to him about different situations and what I could do and how I could keep myself calm under pressure situations while captaining the side.
But there is admiration. "Yeah that helped me, chatting to him in the West Indies when he was not playing and I was captaining. All the tips he gave me helped me."