Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
'Virat once told me he was unhappy. He was confused': Renowned coach recalls 'over-aggressive' Kohli's initial struggles
A world renowned cricket coach has narrated a fascinating story of a young Virat Kohli during the latter's Under-19 days.
The great Virat Kohli is set to reach where only a few Indian cricketers have – the landmark of 100 Tests. When the former captain takes the field against Sri Lanka on Friday, he would represent India for the 100th time in Tests, becoming only the 12th Indian cricketer to achieve this tremendous feat. From leading the Indian Under-19 World Cup to a World Cup win in Malaysia in 2008 to becoming arguably the best all-format batter, Kohli has already left behind a rich legacy, and with a few more years to go, Kohli is on his way to cementing himself as one of the country's top three batters of all time.
As Kohli enters the cauldron of 100 Test matches, tributes have been pouring in from all corners of the globe. With India legends, former teammates and coaches lauding Kohli, his work ethics and the immense contribution he has made towards Indian cricket, a former coach has jumped in on the bandwagon to narrate a fascinating story of a young Kohli during the latter's Under-19 days. Dav Whatmore, a World Cup winning coach with Sri Lanka, and India's Under-19 team when Kohli was in charge, explained how the young prodigy was cut out from the rest even as a teenager.
"I don't remember him as much of a talker when the coaching staff was around. Kohli was not like some of the kids who always sought some advice or the other. Often, he found solutions by himself and worked hard to eliminate the chinks in his batting. The conversations we had about technique and other stuff were precise and to the point," Whatmore wrote for The Indian Express.
"The questions Kohli asked were straight and clear, like he knew his game inside out. Once, he told me that he was unhappy as he often got out after getting starts. He would score a quick 30 or 40 and then get out, often playing a careless shot. He told me he felt he was over-aggressive, but couldn't stop being one. He was confused about when to start playing those big shots. I told him that he was already batting at a brisk pace and that there's no need to play the big one until the 40th over. My advice was simple: Play the normal game till the 40th over, assess the game situation and then accelerate. The method worked, he started getting those big knocks and showed terrific game sense. Now he knows exactly when to push the run rate and when not to."
Whatmore shared more, hailing Kohli's hard work and even when he was not batting, the youngster would find a way to keep himself occupied with the game. A hard worker through and through, Whatmore had realised back then itself that this kid was going to go the distance.
"Right from those days, Kohli had a good technique and it was more a case of fine-tuning bits here and there, besides getting into good positions and trusting the basics. He was a more on-side player then. Lots of flicks and on-drives. He was not much of a cover-driver back then as he is now. The shot did not stand out then as it does today. Those were the shots he picked up along the way, I guess. That's how great batsmen are, they are always learning something or the other," he said.
"As one would know, Kohli was a bit of a livewire, always doing something or the other. When he was not batting, he was turning his arm over in some corner of the nets, or giving some throw-downs to other batsmen. He was extremely hardworking too. As the cliche goes, he was the first to enter the nets and the last to leave. He would keep on batting and tire out the bowlers. But one saw his hunger, he always wanted to keep improving, even though he was in fact quite evolved for his age."
