For one of the Top-ranked batsmen in the world, we have for you Virat Kohli Biography – especially of his early years.
Virat Kohli birthday is on 5th November 1988 and the first-class debut of this King Kohli began when he played for Delhi in November 2006.
While playing for Delhi during one of the Ranji Trophy matches in Mumbai, he got a nickname – “Cheeku”.
One evening, while getting a trim in a salon, he started asking for reviews from everyone in the team.
The assistant coach Ajit Chowdhary said, “You look like Cheeku”.
Cheeku was a rabbit from the popular kid’s magazine, Champak. The name stuck. MS Dhoni started calling Virat Cheeku.
The stump mic did the rest and suddenly, the whole of India knew!
Virat Kohli made his international debut in an ODI game against Sri Lanka at Dambulla in 2008. But his cricketing journey started much earlier, in the dust fields of West Delhi.
Virat Kohli Family
Virat Kohli was born to Prem and Saroj Kohli in a middle-class Punjabi Hindu Family.
His father was a criminal lawyer by profession and would also invest in small businesses.
His mother Saroj, used to take care of the household and the family of five.
Virat has a brother Vikas, who is seven years elder to him and sister Bhavna, nine years elder to him.
In a country like Spain, every baby is gifted a football on his or her first birthday. In India, it’s a bat! The bat and ball are toys found in every household and Kohli’s house was no exception.
According to his family, Virat picked up the bat when he was just three years old and would ask his father to throw him balls. He would smash the ball as hard as he could.
Virat Kohli’s School days
Virat Kohli’s family lived a modest life in the densely populated neighbourhood of Uttam Nagar in West Delhi.
Virat studied at the local school, Vishal Bharti Public School till class IX and then moved to Saviour Convent till grade XI. He didn’t go into grade XII as he was training for the India U-19 at that time.
When Virat was in Vishal Bharti School, he played for its team whenever he got the opportunity. Cricket was like a missing puzzle piece in Virat’s life. He searched for it wherever he could. He hunted relentlessly for it on the streets, in the playgrounds and even at home. After school, he would rush out to play gully cricket with the neighbouring boys, every day.
Virat is the youngest of the siblings and like in most Indian households, was the most pampered and loved one. He was very close to his father who doted on him. His father noticed Virat’s keenness for the game. The neighbours told his father – Virat is wasting his time playing gully cricket. “Kohliji, Koi achi jagah le jao aur professional coaching karwao!”
Virat Kohli age 9 – Joins an academy
Taking the neighbours’ advice, his father eventually took Virat to Rajkumar Sharma’s academy, which had a good reputation.
Before going to Rajkumar Sharma’s academy, he went to two other academies briefly, but it was Rajkumar Sharma’s academy where Virat honed his cricketing skills.
Rajkumar Sharma founded the West Delhi Cricket Academy (WDCA) in May 1998.
Sharma himself was a first-class player and off-spinner. He was helped by former Indian pacer, Atul Wassan, whose career had been curtailed by injuries. For Wassan, this was a good way to stay in touch with the game and develop new talent.
Eight years later, there was a wonderful coincidence! It was Atul Wassan, as the chairman of Delhi senior selection committee, who picked Virat for his first Ranji Trophy match.
This was, what Indians call, kismat ka kamaal!
Let’s start from the Start, let’s get a complete Virat Kohli profile, especially when his tough life as a cricketer began.
30th May 1998. That was the day Prem Kohli took both his sons to a summer camp at WDCA. It was extremely hot as a heatwave was sweeping across the subcontinent. The temperature was in the mid-40s. The political temperature had also soared as India had recently conducted a nuclear test in Pokharan, Rajasthan. On the day Virat joined WDCA, Pakistan conducted their nuclear test.
Also, 1998 was the era of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Sachin was at his peak and was smashing the likes of Damien Fleming and Shane Warne all over the park in Sharjah.
Sachin was a huge inspiration to the future generation. The Sachin effect had led to hundreds of cricket academies opening up all over India.
Virat and his brother Vikas were also staunch fans of the little Master Blaster.
Virat Kohli registers for the Academy
Prem Kohli, Virat’s father, told Sharma to treat Virat like his own son and be his mentor too. Sharma took Virat into his club with open arms. Prem wanted to put his son in the best possible hands available and he found no one better than Sharma.
The summer camp had witnessed a healthy turnout. About 250 kids had queued up for registration. Among them was Virat.
“I remember Virat registering enthusiastically. He had come along with his father and brother. He was a naughty and a chubby sort of a kid”, the coach recalls.
In the camp, Virat was among the youngest. Virat Kohli was welcomed by the coaches at West Delhi Cricket Academy.
Raj Kumar recounts, “We had not seen anything special in Virat. He was like all the boys at the nets, restless, enthusiastic and eager to get a chance to bat in the nets”.
Things evolved quite dramatically. Something happened that made the coaches realise that this rookie was not ordinary.
Rajkumar recalls the throw from Virat which convinced the coaching staff of his potential. “I still remember it. The throw that he produced from the boundary was extraordinary.” It made heads turn.
“He was just nine, but the power and the accuracy with which he threw into the wicket-keeper’s gloves, we realized the quality in him, his feel for the game, and we lost no time in concentrating on Virat,” recalled Rajkumar. Suresh Batra, the assistant to Rajkumar was also stunned by the boy’s powerful throw from the boundary. It reached the keeper’s gloves with the speed of a bullet.
Virat’s practice sessions
Despite his busy schedule, Prem Kohli always found time for Virat.
Prem ferried him to his practice sessions on his Kinetic Honda scooter. He also accompanied Virat for his matches.
Coach Sharma’s academy was in close vicinity to Virat’s home. As he grew older, Virat used to cycle down the 5-kilometre stretch to the academy, hanging his kit bag on the handle of his cycle. Virat never took a day off, according to the coach. Whether it was raining or scorching hot, Virat turned up every day.
At the time Virat joined WDCA, he was accustomed to playing with boys elder to him in his neighbourhood. But, at the academy, he was kept in his own age group. Virat hated this and wanted to train with those, elder to him.
He ran towards the elder age group. Virat told the coach that he wanted to train with them as he had always played with elder kids in his mohalla. The coach didn’t approve of it, but Virat was not to be denied. And then within a couple of months, he was made a part of the senior boys in the camp.
Coach Raj Kumar recalls that though he was only 10, he was selected to play for the Under-14 team, for the match at Springdales School, within 10 days of joining.
The Virat Kohli flick that stunned Delhi
In one of the local tournament cricket matches that Virat played, he gave the first glimpse of his god-given talent. Everyone who saw Virat play THAT shot was convinced that he was no ordinary talent!
A 14-year-old pace bowler ran in and delivered a really fast one on a matting wicket and the 10-year-old Virat flicked the ball over the midwicket for a six!
A flicked six over mid-wicket is a rare sight even in international cricket. And here was a small boy doing the same, casually depositing the ball off his legs, into the stands.
“Being just ten years old, it was an outrageous shot”, said cricket experts.
This match assured coach Sharma of the talent Cheeku possessed. But one thing worried Sharma. The cricket ball is hard and when it hits a batsman, at a high pace, it can even be fatal. Sharma had to make sure that Cheeku’s career wasn’t finished even before starting.
But young Virat was always calm. He had an unshakable self-assurance about himself, way beyond his years, baffling coach Sharma as well. The coach says, “Virat was much ahead of his age group. One quality that shone through was – Virat was never scared of anyone and wanted to play in the senior age group.
This showed his self-confidence.
The game of cricket is all about mental strength. Sharma believed that Virat possessed the right mentality to work hard and overcome his limitations. More importantly, Virat had cricketing intelligence.
Virat Kohli’s bottom hand
Virat played with a strong bottom hand and used to score runs on the onside. His main scoring shot was the flick off the pads. He trusted his bottom hand which even the greats of the game are reluctant to use, as it lifts the ball in the air. Initially, Virat was piling up runs with this shot. But with time, bowlers assessed Virat’s strengths and weaknesses and started bowling to him accordingly.
They exploited his weaknesses, and he suddenly became vulnerable. He got out playing the flick shot for the umpteenth time and on all occasions was out LBW.
Sharma was furious at Virat for repeating the mistake and set a regimen in which he had to avoid playing the flick shot from the middle stump. “I used to reprimand him for playing the flick shot. It is fine to play the flick off the pads but when you do it from the middle stump, you can easily get caught behind”, says the coach.
“Virat used to flick every ball at the start of his innings without pulling his leg towards the leg stump”, coach Sharma recalls.
Virat realized his mistake and he practised it for days, till his weakness became his strength. While playing the flick shots, quite a number of times Virat was getting out LBW. So, he trained consistently and mastered the shot. He worked on it till he became an expert at it. Earlier he was going forward full length to approach the ball, but slowly, he got better at waiting for the ball to come to him, which improved his game.
He came out stronger from this experience. With some tweaks in Virat’s game, a well-crafted batsman emerged.” This seemed to be the turning point in his career and later in his cricketing life being a part of the Indian cricket team, led to setting many Virat Kohli records.
Slowly but surely, Virat evolved into a run machine. He used to listen to his coaches and amend his mistakes.
Five years after joining the academy, he played a tournament under coach Sharma in 2003. He was unstoppable in the tournament.
Virat Kohli age 14 – The complete batsman emerges
A tournament was played at Delhi Development Authority’s Sports Complex ground in Hari Nagar. It is not a big ground but can be challenging for the young blokes. Cheeku was smashing the ball and clearing the rope regularly, pummelling the bowlers for fours and sixes.
“I was so delighted with Cheeku that he put away his false shots and was making the right decisions”, says coach Sharma.
The DDA Complex Cricket ground in Hari Nagar is where the 14-year-old Virat Kohli announced his arrival.
The tournament was of six games which included three league games, one quarter, one semi and one final. Out of these six games, Virat was out only once, and also was the highest run-getter in the tournament. He hammered the bowlers with his full arsenal of shots.
He turned his weakness into strength, truly a sign of a champion.
One thing stood out. Virat was playing the forward defensive block with perfection.
The coaches always say “Gend ko sungho (smell the ball OR smell the leather)”, while playing the forward defensive block. Get really close to the ball and meet the ball under your eye.”
In fact, Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath were masters of the forward defensive block. But watching a fourteen-year-old, playing this shot, with such correctness, was a certain head-turner.
The knowledgeable Delhi cricket fraternity started talking about the boy.
Not only the forward defensive block, but Virat also played other shots like the cover drive with sheer class. It was just a school tournament but definitely, it created a buzz.
Ashish Nehra was present on the occasion as the chief guest. He had returned from the 2003 ICC World Cup in South Africa. Nehra himself was impressed by Virat’s batting talent and presented him with the “Player of the Tournament” award. This award was Virat’s first baby step in the world of competitive cricket.
All along this journey, his father was always by his side.
With all the above records being set by Cheeku, little did one know that the first ODI Virat Kohli century was just a few years away. The D-day was 24th December 2009 at the Eden Gardens against Sri Lanka.
Keep reading and you will get more of Virat Kohli stats.
Virat Kohli’s Watermelon incident
Now a fun incident from Virat’s early years. Virat recalls this one while talking to the veteran podcaster, Graham Bensinger.
It was Independence Day and Virat along with his father was about to go kite shopping. Prem Kohli was waiting for Virat, on his Kinetic scooter. But in a hurry, Virat accidentally forgot to bring his helmet from the house.
Though normally, Prem was very particular about rules and regulations, Prem agreed to take Virat sans helmet as it was a short trip.
Virat loved watermelons and on the way back, he asked his father to buy a watermelon. They bought the watermelon and Virat put the melon on the bike. Just then, Prem Kohli spotted a couple of traffic policemen walking towards them. In a panic, Prem rode off, not realising that Virat was not sitting on the scooter!
Virat went back home on a cycle-rickshaw. Upon returning, he was so angry with his father that he didn’t talk to him for two days!
Virat Kohli – Papa’s boy
As Virat worked hard on his game, his father could sense that his son’s dream of playing for India was within sight.
Prem Kohli played a key role in instilling the right values in Virat. According to Virat, his father was a self-made man and believed in hard work.
Virat Kohli Twitter account mention on 17 June 2018:
On Father’s day he wrote, “From the very beginning, he taught me how to work hard, to have ultimate belief in my own hard work and not look anywhere for favours. That lesson is the essence of my life now. He guided me in the right direction. Thank you Dad!”
Virat expresses his feelings and thoughts, quite a number of times on Twitter. Or you can also check Virat Kohli Instagram account.
Virat’s father passed away when Virat was 18. Virat was playing a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka when he got the news of his father’s demise.
No one was expecting Virat Kohli to turn up the next day to play a vital inning for his team but that’s what Virat did.
This shows his mental toughness.
Virat Kohli’s mental toughness
Sunil Gavaskar once said, “To become a good player you need talent, to become a great player you need an attitude like Kohli.”
Gavaskar is right. But what is this attitude that is the mark of a great athlete?
Performance coach Tim Grover explains it best while writing about how great players think,
“I’m not here to make friends. I’m here because I’m the best and not afraid to show it. I want to be noticed for the excellence of my work, that’s all. When people say they like me, it means nothing! Like is average. It has no impact, no heat. The best compliment you can give me – He might be an asshole, but he is the best at what he does.”
Virat – On field Aggression
During the second test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2018/2019, he came under fire from many former cricketers.
Sanjay Manjrekar said, “Had Virat Kohli not been the champion player he is, some of his antics on the field would have created quite a stir. You have to behave responsibly at times though”.
Mike Hussey on Macquarie Sports Radio said, “Virat Kohli is out of control out there. I don’t like his attitude at the moment.”
Surely, this is not a typical Indian attitude.
But this aggression and relentless pursuit of getting better is Virat Kohli’s secret X factor. And there is only ONE place he could have got it from. The place he grew up in – WEST DELHI.
Virat Kohli and the WEST DELHI effect
A lot of modern Indian cricketers including Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Shikar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli have something in common. Apart from playing an aggressive game, this batch hailed from West Delhi.
West Delhi comprises places like Uttam Nagar, Paschim Vihar, Janakpuri, Vikaspuri, Naraina and Najafgarh. Here, the struggle for space and recognition is much more intense. There is a lack of opportunity, which sets off a race among the youngsters. This leads to an intense rivalry for places in the state team, thus producing champions in the process.
The competition is tough. Only those with a strong will and enthusiasm for the game survive.
Raman Lamba was a firm believer in this theory of, ‘Tough competitions produce tough players’.
The West Delhi factor is apparent in the story of Virender Sehwag too. Viru belonged to a modest middle-class family having no connections to the game. Moral support from the family and the freedom to pursue his dreams was all he had. Viru used to travel three hours daily for a five-minute batting session at the nets. His struggle eventually led him to success.
Criticism from coaches for his unorthodox batting technique toughened him up, even more. Viru represented an unapologetic aggressive cavalier spirit.
This was the West Delhi spirit of, ‘Duniya ko dikha dunga, main cheez kya hoon!’
Virender Sehwag became an inspiration for the youngsters of Delhi who belonged to modest family backgrounds.
Others had less difficult journeys.
Gautam Gambhir’s businessman father could support his passion for the game.
Atul Wassan also belonged to a financially sound family. Atul played for the Sonnet Club. Sonnet Club has a reputation for producing world-class cricketers. Their coach Tarak Sinha encouraged competition at the club level.
Many Sonnet Club cricketers played for their state and India, the latest being Rishabh Pant.
In a way, West Delhi is like Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. Shivaji Park produced the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Sachin Tendulkar.
The West Delhi culture has produced Virat. The hardships he faced in his early life and West Delhi’s competitive environment where you get nothing on a platter – shaped him, arming him with confidence and self-belief.
Two of Virat’s biggest backers today are Ravi Shastri and Madan Lal, the head of BCCI’s cricket advisory committee.
Says Madan Lal, “Cricket is not a game for the meek gentleman anymore. It demands aggression. Virat is a Sher-dil and Indian cricket needs him.”
We can’t agree more, right!
King Kohli Cricket graph
Virat Kohli in IPL, Twenty20 Internationals (T20), One-day Internationals (ODI) and Test matches, are all the famous forms of cricket being played currently.
Virat Kohli Howstat:
Tests: 88 matches
ODI: 251 matches
T20: 85 matches
IPL: 192 matches
Virat Kohli Centuries:
Tests: 27
ODI: 43
T20: 0
IPL: 5
Virat Kohli IPL Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat started with RCB in 2008 and is one of the important players to be retained all these years. So once again Virat Kohli IPL team 2021 will be RCB.
Virat Kohli IPL runs equal to a huge aggregate of 5878 runs scored with an average of 38.17 and an impressive scoring rate of 130.74
Three Cheers to King Kohli!
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