Virat Kohli’s coach reveals how RCB's wild party culture almost derailed his career: 'I had to scold him a lot'

Rajkumar Sharma recalled a phase in Virat Kohli’s early career when IPL party culture became a distraction and affected his progress.

Virat Kohli has long been regarded as a benchmark for fitness in modern cricket, inspiring players across generations with the transformation he brought to his game through discipline and hard work. Kohli himself has spoken about a turning point after IPL 2012, when he returned home unhappy with his physical condition and decided to completely change his lifestyle. That moment sparked a relentless focus on fitness, diet and training, helping him elevate every aspect of his cricket. More than a decade later, he continues to set standards with his energy and intensity on the field. Whether it is sprinting to cut off boundaries, chasing every ball in the deep or maintaining sharp running between the wickets, Kohli’s commitment remains unmatched. His fitness revolution not only extended his consistency at the highest level but also changed the way young Indian cricketers approached preparation and athleticism in the sport.

Virat Kohli has been one of the fittest cricketers in world cricket at the moment. (ANI Pic Service)

Meanwhile, Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma recalled a phase in the batter’s early phase in career when his progress had begun to dip slightly, pointing to the IPL party scene as one of the distractions at the time. In the early years of the tournament, the league was widely associated with lavish celebrations, celebrity presence and the influence of wealthy team owners, creating an environment filled with glamour beyond the cricket field. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the franchise Kohli has represented since the beginning, was particularly known for its high-profile gatherings and extravagant post-match parties. Former owner Vijay Mallya was often seen as the face of that flamboyant culture, which became a major talking point during the league’s early seasons.

Rajkumar said the environment around RCB during the early IPL years made it difficult for a teenager like Kohli to stay away from distractions, recalling how the franchise’s strong party culture became a regular part of life for young players in the setup.

“It was the most important phase of his life. When he was fortunately picked for RCB, you know what the culture in RCB was - the culture of parties. And I don’t blame him at all. A kid of 17 or 18 cannot avoid that party culture. It was mandatory for everybody to attend those meetings and parties. There was a culture there that you had to go to parties. So how could a 17-18-year-old kid resist that party culture?" Rajkumar Sharma said on Express Cafe YouTube Channel.

“Virat Kohli understood what needed to be done”

Continuing on the same phase of Kohli’s career, Rajkumar revealed that he often had to scold and closely guide the young batter to keep him focused.

"At that time, I really had to work hard with him. I had to scold him a lot. I did many things that I cannot reveal here. Just to control him - not to control him, but to handle him. I don’t blame him at all. When you are such a young kid and you have to go to such parties every day, you can’t resist. But my role there was that I handled him. By God’s grace, he understood me, he understood what needed to be done, and from there he never looked back," he concluded.