Coach Rajkumar Sharma on What He Said After Kohli’s Father Died
Coach Rajkumar Sharma talks about his earliest memories of the Indian skipper and the day Virat Kohli’s father died.
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Virat Kohli’s career has seen a number of transitions. From a young boy learning to pick up the bat to the Captain of the Indian cricket team, it has been a meteoric rise for a boy who did not have the sport in his blood; only a family who believed in him, and a coach who had a vision.
Kohli’s former coach Rajkumar Sharma opened his West Delhi Cricket Academy more than two decades ago. On the first day of registration, a father brought his two sons to the ground. A father like any other. Only, Rajkumar knew better.
Having groomed Kohli in his formative years and remained his close confidant over many more, Rajkumar is an integral part of the Indian skipper’s support system. The Quint caught up with the coach to try and capture the relationship that birthed the legend of Kohli. Here is an excerpt from the interview:
Q. What is your first memory of Virat Kohli?
He (Kohli) was nine/nine-and-a-half-years-old when he came to me. When we started our academy in Paschim Vihar, he was one of the first few students who had enrolled. On the first day of registration, he came with his brother and and father.
Q. When was the first time you felt that Kohli can make it big in international cricket?
After Virat joined the Academy, in about 15-20 days, I could make out that he was different from others. He was an extremely talented and a gifted cricketer. I was sure that he had cemented his place in the Delhi team when he scored his first double hundred in the under-15 category.
Q. The day Virat’s father passed away, he called you and asked if he should go and continue playing the Ranji game. What did you tell him?
Virat’s father was a very nice human being. He was also very dear to me. He was a very passionate cricket fan. I was out of India when he (Virat Kohli) called me. He was crying when he told me the news. I asked him what he thinks he should be doing, and his response was ‘I think I should play.’ I encouraged him and told him that this is the time to show your character. That was the biggest thing any cricketer could have done – his father’s body was at home and he went to play for his state.
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