"I called his brother over and asked, 'Where does he play from?'" - Former DDCA secretary's fascinating tale of Virat Kohli from an Under-14 match

Former Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Vinod Tihara has shared a fascinating story about veteran India batter Virat Kohli from his Under-14 days. Speaking on the YouTube podcast ‘Switch,’ released on Saturday, November 8, Tihara recalled an incident where Kohli played a straight drive reminiscent of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

Impressed by the young batter’s talent, Tihara said he called his brother and asked him to keep an eye on Kohli, adding that everyone believed he would one day play for India. He shared:

“I’ll tell you an incident about Virat. There was an Under-14 tournament happening, and I had gone there. Virat and his team needed four runs to win. When Virat came in to bat, he played a straight drive just like Sachin Tendulkar used to. The shot was so perfect that I specifically called his brother over and asked, ‘Where does he play from?’ He said, ‘Sir, with Raj sir.’”

“I told him, ‘Keep an eye on him.’ From just one ball, it was clear that he had immense talent. Sometimes you can just see it instantly. And whenever Virat played, I always felt and everyone believed that this boy would play for the country. Yes, he was a big player even then,” he added.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli remains India’s second-highest run-scorer across formats, having accumulated 27,673 runs in 553 matches, including 82 centuries and 144 half-centuries.

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“He was overconfident” - Former DDCA secretary Vinod Tihara on Gautam Gambhir

During the same conversation, Vinod Tihara mentioned that Gautam Gambhir was overconfident in his early days, as he was aware of his abilities and often felt he could handle things on his own. He said:

“Since childhood, Gambhir has lived up to his name and has always been serious by nature. He was also quite arrogant, though “arrogant” might not be the right word; you could say he was overconfident. He knew that he plays really well and felt he didn’t need anyone’s help and that he could handle everything on his own. That’s just part of his nature, and it has been that way since childhood.”

Gautam Gambhir retired from all forms of cricket in 2018 and currently serves as the head coach of the Indian men’s team.