From an angry young man to a pillar of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli, who turns 28 today, has not changed on the commitment front. An excerpt from a new book on the star
There was a time when Virat Kohli's coach and guide Raj Kumar was worried about his pupil going astray. The under-19 World Cup triumph at Kuala Lumpur had brought Virat unprecedented fame and there was a distinct change in his behaviour. He was seen as brash, but not at the cost of his discipline. Virat had never been accused of indiscipline in his junior days and once he wore the India colours, he learnt to maintain his cool in explosive situations. As an eighteen year-old, Virat was not different from any other boy next door who wanted to have fun. Fame had transformed his life.
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Being famous
He was picked up by RCB for IPL and distractions came to threaten his game and slow down his development. There was a lot of partying and since he was a star, Virat's presence at such events became part of the RCB cricket culture, which was a sharp contrast to the Mumbai Indians' uncompromising policy to sponsor its team's post-match celebrations. The BCCI subsequently put a stop to these private parties organised by the franchises. There is an interesting anecdote involving Virat and the franchise when he demanded a Business Class ticket for himself because a senior India player had availed of that facility. It did not matter if Virat was refused the luxury of travelling Business Class, but it became clear that the young man was going to demand what was due to him. It was true that Virat would not take nonsense from anyone because he was aware of his position and rights. Virat's coach played his part superbly. “My role required strict supervision because I had seen many youngsters spoilt by early fame. I was never really worried about Virat, but I had to be careful. He was young and I decided to spend more and more time with him. Kept an eye on him,” said the coach. A senior Delhi and India player was instrumental in making Raj Kumar realise the importance of shepherding his talented and star student. 'Reign him in,' the player told Raj Kumar.
Virat quickly recovered to regain his focus. He knew the star that he had become was because of cricket. Nothing else mattered and the lesson was learnt in quick time. “He was never insolent. He was aggressive, but never disrespectful,” affirmed pace bowler Ashish Nehra. Confidence was erroneously portrayed as arrogance in Virat's case. The confidence to pull off a miraculous result was his strength. Virat made no attempt to hide his passion. A bouncer would evoke a strong response like stepping out the next ball. “I would shout to him to stay calm if someone bounced the ball because I was sure Virat would step out next ball to hit the bowler. It was aggression and not arrogance. It was confidence,” insisted Raj Kumar. As Virat rose in stature, Raj Kumar tightened his observation. “I reminded him once in a while that everything would follow provided he never compromised with his cricket. The hard work of the academy would go to dust if he made mistakes after having established himself. It was stressful only for a brief while because I always knew Virat was not the one to go astray,” Raj Kumar said with pride.
Delhi's leader
For his elevation to captaincy at Delhi, Virat had former Bihar and Delhi batsman Hari Gidwani to thank. Gidwani was a stylish right-hander who was unfortunate not to have played for India. Gidwani was a conscientious selector and chiefly instrumental in pushing Virat as the best candidate to lead Delhi. Gidwani convinced his colleagues in the panel to appoint the twenty-one-year-old Virat. “I backed him because I had heard about him and then seen him lead in the Under-19 World Cup. He came across as a brilliant communicator and that was the quality a captain needed the most.
Excerpted from Driven – The Virat Kohli Story by Vijay Lokapally, published by Bloomsbury
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