"The fact that MS Dhoni gave him that extra momentum is why he is the Virat Kohli we see today" - Sunil Gavaskar

The war of words between Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli doesn't seem to end. Coming up with a fresh remark yet again, Gavaskar stated that it was because of MS Dhoni's 'extra momentum' that Kohli, who had a 'start-stop' career during the initial days of his international cricketing career, evolved as the player he is today.

Speaking to the official broadcasters Star Sports when the rain halted the IPL 2024 game between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, May 17, Gavaskar highlighted former India skipper Dhoni's contribution to the transformation of Kohli's career.

"When Virat Kohli started his career, it was a stop-start career. The fact that MS Dhoni gave him that little extra momentum is why he is the Kohli we see today."

Yet another fantastic IPL season with the bat for Virat Kohli

Despite Sunil Gavaskar's criticisms regarding his strike rate in the ongoing IPL 2024, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) talisman has had a fantastic season with the bat. Kohli is currently leading the run-scoring charts for IPL 2024 with 661 runs at a strike rate of 155.16.

Kohli has so far amassed five half-centuries and a century in 13 matches this season, with his highest score of 113* off 72 balls coming against the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently second in the Orange Cup race with 583 runs.

RCB and CSK will lock horns in a highly anticipated clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 18, to seal the final IPL 2024 playoff spot.

While a win will be enough for CSK to guarantee a top-four finish, RCB need to win by an 18-run margin or complete their chase in 18.1 overs to qualify for the playoffs.