Virat Kohli reveals an unforgettable incident which gave him a much-needed chance during the early phases of his career.
Virat Kohli is a modern day great now but he was just an emerging player looking for opportunities back in 2008. When Kohli made his international debut against Sri Lanka in 2008, he was surrounded by some of the legendary names in Indian cricket like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, and many more.
But over the years, Kohli has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest batters to have ever played the game. He has won India numerous matches on his own. His self-belief and hunger can be visible through his intent while batting. He has continued to play with passion despite many ups and downs in his career.
Before the crucial match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings, Suresh Raina was asked about Kohli’s first memories. Raina remembered the 2008 Emerging Players tournament in which he met Kohli for the first time.
Kohli revealed that he had failed to score in the initial games while batting in the middle order. However, Raina, who was an international cricketer back then, saw his potential in the nets and asked coach Pravin Amre why he is not playing. Amre replied that there was no place for him in the Playing XI.
Seeing Kohli’s batting talent in the nets, Raina insisted on getting Kohli into the Playing XI as an opener even if he was selected in the squad.as a middle order batter. Kohli was asked to open in the next match against New Zealand as that was the only slot available.
Eventually, Kohli went on to scored an unbeaten 120 in the match. Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar was also present at the stadium and he decided to give Kohli further chances as well. Kohli went on to thank Raina for pushing his name further which gave him a much-needed chance.
Kohli himself reveals and thanks Suresh Raina for giving him chances in the emerging trophy tournament. Raina joined this tournament in mid-race. Raina asked Kohli to open & Kohli scored 120 then later Dilip saw him and gave him chances! Underrated bond ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SdeG0gktuF
— finding🕉️🇮🇳 (@mediaculprit_) May 18, 2024
Also read: ‘This is high-level cricket’ – Virat Kohli voices support for Rohit Sharma
Since then, Virat Kohli has never looked back and has established himself as a lynchpin in India’s batting line-up. Currently, he is the highest run-scorer of IPL 2024 with 661 runs in 13 matches so far at an average of 66.10 and a strike rate of 155.16.
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