On Sunday, Virat Kohli was honored by the West Delhi Cricket Academy amidst his family, friends and his coaches from the years of his training. The felicitation was held in honor of him receiving the Padma Shri award and also being promoted to captain for all the three formats of the game. The celebrity batsman, who is known for his aggressiveness on the field put across his most down to earth face and showed off his humility at the occasion.
The cricketer speaking at the occasion said “I am so focused that pressure doesn’t affect me.” Also, his friends from the days when Virat played in the local league said that he was always effective in communicating his requirements and said that he was always grounded when accepting the win.
Rajkumar Sharma, the coach who shaped Virat Kohli into the player that he is today said, “He has remained humble and it is a quality that distinguishes him. His desire to learn and the commitment to be involved all the time is a strong part of his character now. Indian cricket is proud of him and us at the WDCA just adore him.”
Virat Kohli was trained at the West Delhi Cricket Academy(WDCA) during his initial days. Reminiscing the days Virat said, “I am so happy to see people here whom I saw on my first day at the academy. Atul (Wassan) Sir, (Suresh) Batra Sir. I can’t forget the day I returned home after being hit by some deliveries after I had started playing in the senior group. My mother was worried and she came to the academy to speak to Rajkumar Sir. He assured her it was nothing to worry about. She did not have to come to the academy again.”
Virat speaking about his captaincy said that he still is the same boy who cycled to the academy with his kit bag. He also said that through the incredible journey he was fortunate have been at the same the stage with the same group of people today as he did during his coaching days. He also said that every time he comes to the academy he learns something new that benefits his game.
Speaking about how he deals with pressure during the game, the star Cricketer said, “I am doing what I loved from childhood — play cricket. I am so focused that pressure doesn’t affect me. I don’t worry about win or loss. I look at the larger picture and my daily hard work pays off. I just focus on staying in my zone. It helps me stay calm. It helps me tackle pressure.”
Virat was present with his brother Vikas and mother Saroj and his childhood friends while being felicitated.
When advised by Rajeev Shukla, the cricket veteran, to be less aggressive and demonstrative on the field, Virat humbly responded with a nod.
