VIRAT KHOLI'S JOURNEY

VIRAT KHOLI 

Early life

Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi into a Punjabi Hindu family. His father, Prem Kohli, worked as a criminal lawyer and his mother, Saroj Kohli, served as a housewife. He has an older brother, Vikas, and an older sister, Bhawna.^[6] Kohli's formative years were spent in Uttam Nagar. He commenced his early education at Vishal Bharti Public School.^[7] According to his family, Kohli exhibited an early affinity for cricket as a mere three-year-old. He would pick up a cricket bat, display natural skill, and request his father to bowl to him.^[8]

In 1998, the West Delhi Cricket Academy (WCDA) was created. On 30 May of that year, Prem Kohli, who'd espoused his younger son's fervour for cricket, assisted nine-year-old Kohli's aspirations and arranged for him to meet Rajkumar Sharma, who initially perceived him to be just another enthusiastic and determined young boy. However, two weeks later, Sharma was impressed by Kohli's accuracy and power in throwing.^[9] Upon the suggestion of their neighbours, Kohli's father considered enrolling his son in a professional cricket academy, as they believed that his cricketing abilities merited more than just playing in gully cricket.^[10] Despite his abilities, he faced the setback of being unable to secure a place in the under-14 Delhi team, not due to a lack of merit but due to extraneous factors. Prem Kohli received offers to relocate his son to influential clubs, which would have ensured his selection, but he declined the proposals, as he was determined that Kohli should earn his recognition based on his own merit and overcome the system of nepotism and deceit prevalent in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). Kohli persisted and eventually found his way into the under-15 Delhi team.^[11] He received training at the academy while simultaneously participating in matches at the Sumeet Dogra Academy located at Vasundhara Enclave.^[12] As per Sharma's recollection of Kohli's initial days at his academy, he exuded remarkable talent, making it arduous for the coach to curb his enthusiasm. Kohli remained prepared to bat at any position, and often, Sharma had to physically coerce him to leave the training sessions, as he was reluctant to depart.^[13] In pursuit of furthering his cricketing career, he transitioned to Saviour Convent School during his ninth-grade education.^[10] Kohli's ardent passion for cricket compelled him to travel long distances with his father to ensure that he never missed a match. With time, he diligently honed his skills and diversified his range of shots, commanding respect from the local bowlers.^[14]

On 18 December 2006, Kohli experienced the loss of his father due to a cerebral attack.^[10][15] During his childhood, his father played a crucial role in supporting his cricket training. Kohli has credited his father as the one who drove him to practice every day. He has expressed his feelings of missing his father's presence at times.^[7][16] Following the demise of Kohli's father, his mother observed a significant change in his personality. Kohli appeared to become more mature overnight, and he began taking every cricket match seriously. He harboured an aversion to exclusion from games and appeared to channel his entire existence into the pursuit of cricket following his father's untimely demise.^[10] Kohli's family resided in Meera Bagh, Paschim Vihar until the year 2015, after which they relocated to Gurgaon.^[17]