India captain Virat Kohli said he learned his lesson after an innocuous tweet on Thursday sparked rumours of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s international retirement.
The Indian captain had tweeted a picture of him on his knees after beating Australia in a must-win match at the 2016 World T20 in Mohali. Kohli scored 82 not out on that night but his running between the wickets with Dhoni (18 not out) was a treat to watch for everyone. It remains one of Kohli’s best T20 innings.
“A game I can never forget. Special night. This man, made me run like in a fitness test,” Kohli had tweeted.
And soon enough, Dhoni was the top trend in India with the rumour mills going overdrive till chairman of selectors MSK Prasad termed it as a false news later in the day. A press conference was rumoured to happen at 7 pm IST that day, but that never materialised.
On Saturday, when Kohli was asked what was on his mind when he tweeted, the smiling skipper replied, “Mere zehen mein kuch naahi thaa yaar (I had nothing in my mind). I was sitting at home and I normally put out a photograph and it became a news item.”
Dhoni has not played for India since the World Cup semi-final exit. He has not been named in the T20I squad against South Africa as well.
“I think it was a lesson for me, that the way I think, the whole world does not think that way. There was nothing in farthest stretch of my imagination (that it could be taken as retirement tribute) while putting that picture out on social media,” the skipper said on the eve of the series-opener against the Proteas.
For him, the T20 International against Australia was one match he has not really talked about much in last three years unlike his other knocks.
“Like what did I write. I remember that game even now, every now and then. I never spoke about that game and so I thought I put up a post. Now people interpreted it in a different manner in which there was not even an iota of truth,” said Kohli.
The three-match series starts in Dharamsala on Sunday.
(With PTI inputs)
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