Virat Kohli Dismisses Delhi Manager's Request for Assistance from Young Players with Kit Bag: 'I Will Manage It Alone'
3 months ago | 5 Views
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is gearing up for his first domestic cricket match since 2012, set to play in Delhi's last Ranji Trophy group game of the 2024/25 season against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Even though Delhi is on the verge of being knocked out, this match is anticipated to be one of the most talked-about domestic games in a while, especially with Kohli making his return and it being a homecoming for him.
After some training sessions in Alibaug with former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar, Kohli made his way to Delhi over the weekend and hit the practice field both days leading up to the game. While he worked on his batting—especially since he’s faced some criticism for his performance in India's last two Test series—it was also a great time bonding with his new teammates at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Despite the media frenzy and all the cameras flashing around, Kohli has remained down-to-earth, according to Delhi team manager Mahesh Bhati, who coached him during his Under-17 and Under-19 days.
In an interview with Times of India, Bhati shared that he saw Kohli carrying his own kit bag on the first day of practice. When he suggested that the younger players help him out, Kohli politely declined and insisted on handling it himself.
"He hasn’t changed at all. He’s still the same Virat for everyone," Bhati mentioned. "On the first day of training, he went into the dressing room with his own kit bag, practiced all day, and then carried it back afterward."
I told him, 'Virat, let us help you out.' He just smiled and said, 'Bhaia, what are you talking about? This is my gear, I’ll take it myself.' He shouldered the kit bag and walked into the dressing room," Bhati recalled.
'Bhaia, matting pe ab ladke nahi khelte kya?'
Bhati also revealed the laughter he shared with Kohli as he unpacked his kit bag to prepare for the training session.
"I was the coach when Virat played Under-19. He played under my coaching only. We have shared a great bond since the beginning. I also love cracking jokes, and so does he. So, we were recalling old memories and bursting into laughter. The first thing he asked was, 'Bhaia, matting pe ab ladke nahi khelte kya? [Bhaia, don't boys play on matting anymore?]' I said, 'Pagal ho gaya hai tu! Matting kaha hai ab? Ab kahin Delhi mein matting nahi milegi [Where is matting now? You won’t find matting anywhere in Delhi anymore]."
"He said he used to play cut shots and pull shots on matting. He added, 'Bhaia, maza bada aata tha pull marne mein, awaaz sahi aati thi [Bhaia, hitting pull shots was so much fun; the sound was just perfect]."
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