Muristek
New Delhi, February 3
Virat Kohli knows exactly how it feels to be on the top of the world when one has barely attained the age to get a driving licence.
Kohli also knows how it feels when criticism flies thick and fast after one doesn't perform as per potential after a global trophy. And no one knows more than Kohli how it feels to be a world-beater at a level where it matters the most.
So it wasn't just a "good but a great morning" for the likes of Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Kaushal Tambe, and Yash Dhull when, from their hotel rooms in Antigua, they got connected with the former India captain, who is in Ahmedabad. Led by Dhull, India U-19 will take on England in the final of the Under-19 World Cup tomorrow. U-19 is just another stop and even if they win the title, there is certainly no guarantee that life will be bed of roses for them.
The 33-year-old Kohli knows a thing or two about winning a high-pressure final at the junior level, having led India to victory over South Africa in the final of the 2008 edition in Kuala Lumpur. Fourteen summers have passed by, and in that time Kohli became India's most successful Test captain, and also scored over 20,000 international runs.
"It was really good to interact with you Virat Kohli bhaiyya. Learnt some important things about life and cricket from you which will help us in getting better in upcoming times," wrote Hangargekar, the team's premier pace-bowling all-rounder, on social media.
"Some valuable tips from the GOAT before the final," wrote spinner Kaushal Tambe.
Their head coach, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, was also present, listening intently to what one of the world's greatest batters had to tell his wards. —