Virat Kohli might have become one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game, but he has not forgotten his roots. The Indian cricket legend made a special gesture for his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma a day after he helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) thrash Delhi Capitals (DC) by nine wickets with 81 balls to spare in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Kohli inaugurated a new branch of the West Delhi Academy at the Delhi Public School (DPS) RK Puram, from which he hails and is run by Rajkumar. The famous academy is where Kohli started his cricket career. Alongside Kohli and his childhood, Delhi and District Cricket Academy (DDCA) chief Rohan Jaitley was also present for the inauguration, which took place on Tuesday (April 28) morning.
Kohli was appreciated for taking time out despite the hectic IPL schedule for his childhood coach. RCB are set to return to action just two days later when they face Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday (April 30).
Kohli also delivered an inspiration speech to the students in attendance. He started by claiming it was awkward for him, as it was the first time addressing a gathering in a school.
"I'm not used to speaking in schools, so this is going to be a bit awkward for me because I moved away from the school setup long ago for cricket, and that's what I'm going to talk about. "I understand the environment of a school. I've been through the same process and stage that all you kids are a part of right now. And I can just share from my own experience how my focus and priority changed very early on in my life.
"What I want to say is, a school is a place where you come to learn, you come to grow, you become better people.Have respect and regard for that environment first. For your teachers, for the people who are teaching you. They are giving you a part of their lives. It's very important to give them that respect and the focus and attention that's required," said Kohli.
The RCB legend also spoke about how he chose cricket as a profession and stressed the need for honesty towards the craft and called for children to give their 100% towards whatever they do.
"I chose sport very early on in my life, but that came from a very honest place. I was very sure that I wanted to go ahead and pursue cricket, and I had to be honest with myself, my family, and also my teachers to convey to them that this is the path I want to take.Be honest with your dreams, about what you want to do and follow that dream with absolute commitment. Only you will know whether you are being 100% honest or not," said Kohli.
Kohlifurther recalled his time at the academy and claimed it was a big part of his childhood from the age of eight. He called upon kids to value their time at the place.
"I started practising when I was eight years old, and I still continue to come to the academy whenever I get time. And it's a big part of my childhood, and I hope all the kids that come to learn cricket here can value it, can learn something from the academy. And I hope it does wonders for the school, the cricket setup here as well. So, I wish everyone all the very best," Kohli concluded.
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