Virat Kohli has interacted with a young fan, Kabir, at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium ahead of his return to the Ranji Trophy.
The conversation between Kohli and the young fan, Kabir, the son of Kohli’s former teammate Shavez Khan, has gained attention on social media after being shared widely by fans.
In the interaction, Kabir asked Kohli, “Indian cricketer banne ke liye kya karna padega?” (What does one need to do to become an Indian cricketer?). Kohli’s response centred around the importance of hard work and self-motivation. “A lot of hard work,” he said, adding that an aspiring cricketer should not rely on their father or others to push them to practise.
“You should tell yourself every morning that you want to go to practice,” Kohli advised. He further explained that one must aim to exceed others’ efforts by doubling their practice time, emphasising, “If someone practices for an hour, you do it for two hours.”
Kohli suggested that the individual should have the self-discipline to train regularly. “If someone practices for an hour, you do it for two hours,” Kohli said. He added that one should aim to surpass existing benchmarks, saying, “If someone scores a 50, you score a 100, and if someone scores a 100, you score a 200.”
The video of Kohli’s conversation with Kabir was widely circulated on social media, with fans and former players alike lauding his message of commitment and passion for the game.
Kohli, who last featured in a Ranji Trophy match in 2012, will return to domestic cricket on January 30, 2025, when Delhi faces Railways. His involvement in the competition is significant, as it is the first time he will play domestic cricket after more than a decade.
The move to encourage top-tier players like Kohli to compete in domestic tournaments is part of a new initiative by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to improve the standard of domestic cricket and provide exposure to younger players.
Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh praised Kohli’s presence at the training session, noting its motivational impact on the team. “Young players were feeling motivated while training with their idol Virat Kohli,” Singh commented. Kohli did not seek to captain the Delhi team for the upcoming Ranji match, instead opting for the young Ayush Badoni to continue in the leadership role.
