New Delhi: For Virat Kohli, loyalty is paramount in relationships and that is why he believes that his bond with childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma and his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are forever.
“In relationships, I always look at loyalty. From 1998, I had only one coach (Rajkumar Sharma) and that’s never going to change. I have played for one franchise in the IPL (RCB) and that’s also never going to change,” Kohli said at the launch of ‘Driven’ of a new book on him Tuesday evening, written by veteran journalist Vijay Lokapally.
Sitting alongside legends like Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag and Anil Kumble, the Indian Test skipper revealed that even now when he is at the height of his popularity as an international cricketer, one person he is scared of is his coach Sharma.
“He (Sharma) is the only person I am scared of. He can still give me a good scolding. I can’t say anything to him even now and it comes from respect. And it’s always good to have someone like him,” pointed out Kohli.
Sehwag regaled the audience with an anecdote from Kohli’s formative years with the Delhi Ranji team. “It was Pradeep Sangwan who came and told me ‘Bhaiyaa, ek ladkaa hain jo aapko bhi peeche chhor dega’ (Brother this boy will even surpass you). I was curious to know who this boy was,” Sehwag said. “When I first saw him batting for Delhi, I immediately realised what a talent this player is. But he has also remained humble all these years,” informed Sehwag.
Press Trust of India
