That Virat Kohli is extremely passionate about everything he does is a known fact, but the ace batsman and skipper of the Indian Test team also seems to have a heart of gold. On several occasions, this trait of Kohli has surfaced irrespective of whether he is on or off the field.
His good-hearted nature has helped the Delhi lad earn the respect of fans as well as fellow cricketers.
Also Read: Sourav Ganguly rates Virat Kohli's 133 against Sri Lanka at Hobart as his favourite innings
In his recent book on the superstar cricketer named Driven, acclaimed sports journalist Vijay Lokapally has revealed an incident involving Virat and his mentor Raj Kumar Sharma which further accentuates his benevolence. The author describes, in Raj Kumar’s words, how Kohli made his 2014 Teacher’s Day an unforgettable one by giving him an extremely special gift.
The excerpt states, “I answered the bell and found Vikas (Kohli's elder brother) at the door," said Raj Kumar. His brother's arrival at his house so early in the day was cause for concern. Vikas stepped into the house, dialled a number and handed his cell phone to Raj Kumar. 'Happy teacher's Day Sir,' said Virat, even as Vikas thrust something into Rajkumar's palms -- a bunch of keys.”
“Rajkumar stood perplexed as Vikas requested him to step out of his house. A gleaming Skoda Rapid was parked at the gate -- a gift from Virat to his mentor. ‘It was not merely because he had gifted me the car. It was because of his emotional touch to the process of reminding me how much he treasured our association, and valued the role of a teacher in his life’," wrote Lokapally.
Virat Kohli started training under Raj Kumar Sharma at a very young age and the latter has played an influential role in the cricketer’s growth. Such has been Raj Kumar’s contribution to Virat’s game that he was conferred with the coveted Dronacharya Award a couple of months ago for his exploits.
As expected, the Indian Test captain was highly pleased about this development and congratulated his mentor on his achievement through Twitter. At the time, Kohli was busy skippering the team on their tour to the West Indies but managed to take out time just to wish Raj Kumar.
“Congratulations Raj Kumar Sir. All the hard work behind the bigger picture never gets noticed. I am delighted for you on getting the Dronacharya Award,” the star cricketer had tweeted.
The association between Virat Kohli and Raj Kumar Sharma is perhaps the most popular player-mentor association in Indian cricket after the one between Sachin Tendulkar and his childhood coach, Ramakant Achrekar.
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