Virat Kohli’s mental toughness and fortitude have always stood out. The cricketing world knows how he turned up for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy the day after his father’s death and scored 90 to help save the match for his team. As it turns out, that wasn’t the only occasion where Kohli’s steely resolve came to the fore. Back in the day, when a young Kohli was setting tournaments ablaze with his batting heroics, he was subjected to unfair treatment from one of his coaches.
Kohli was on fire during the 2005-06 Vijay Merchant Trophy for Delhi, amassing 757 runs at an impressive average of 84.11. However, did you know that one of the team’s coaches didn’t take a liking to him and even conspired against him? Kohli’s former teammate, Jagrit Anand, once recalled this fascinating incident that highlighted how a young Virat overcame the odds stacked against him.
“When we were playing Under-17, we had played two seasons – Virat had scored a double century and a couple of centuries in the previous season. Virat was a known name in the Delhi circuit. He was always outstanding. Now, when it came to the next season, there was a particular coach who was not too much in favour of Virat, so he was trying to pull him down in his own ways in spite of having that kind of record,” Anand, a former Delhi Ranji player and Head of Academies and ex talent scout with Delhi Capitals, said on The Quiet Rise Podcast by Meha Bhardwaj Alter.
“Our first game was against Punjab in Patiala. It was Punjab’s home ground. Sidharth Kaul was one of their pacers, and another guy, Amanpreet… they were doing extremely well. They were the terror in the fast-bowling circuit. So all the odds were against us. Virat was always someone who, if you give a challenge, he would love it.
‘I will beat the living hell out of these people’
{{/usCountry}}“Our first game was against Punjab in Patiala. It was Punjab’s home ground. Sidharth Kaul was one of their pacers, and another guy, Amanpreet… they were doing extremely well. They were the terror in the fast-bowling circuit. So all the odds were against us. Virat was always someone who, if you give a challenge, he would love it.
‘I will beat the living hell out of these people’
{{/usCountry}}“Here I am talking about mental resilience. Before that match, we were just having a casual chat. We were talking about how this match is going to pan out. Now, this was a personal conversation that we guys had. He said, ‘I will beat the living hell out of these people,’ in his proper Delhi language. He scored a double century in that game. That season, he scored another double century, to go with three more hundreds, and that season, Delhi went on to win to become champions in the Vijay Merchant Trophy. So, you see, that kind of challenge. Imagine the coach has the authority in that age group, but that still did not stop someone like Virat.”
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The year before, Virat Kohli had already made headlines with a blistering 251* against Himachal Pradesh in Una. And when it mattered most, he once again rose above the rest. Kohli hammered 227 in that match against Punjab and, as Anand recalled, followed it up with another commanding 228 against Baroda in the semi-final. This sensational run paved the way for Kohli’s List A debut the following year. Two years later, in 2008, Kohli led India’s Under-19 side to World Cup glory in Kuala Lumpur. The rest, as they say, is history.