6 key members who helped Virat Kohli achieve the pinnacle

Virat Kohli hailed from a middle-class neighborhood in Delhi and had to struggle through his early days. He oozed talent but he was often criticized for his attitude. Many labeled him as a "show phony" during his younger days.

Yet, there were a few people who believed in his capabilities and encouraged him not to change. The advice and support he received during his younger days laid the foundation in him in terms of values, skill and attitude.

Let us look into the key people in Kohli's life who transformed him as a cricketer and also a human being.

Parents - Premnath Kohli and Saroj

Virat has been deeply influenced by his parents and has always spoken about their sacrifices. In fact, it was his father's dream that Virat should be a cricketer. His father Prem Kohli, a lawyer by profession decided that his 8-year old son should join a cricket academy. Prem Kohli would drop the young Virat to school and also pick him up from his cricket practice. Virat's mother, Saroj was a doting housewife who would manage the household and her three children.

There was a time when Virat was scoring tons of runs at the U-13 level but he was not selected in the Delhi team. This made the young Kohli battle-hardened. Virat would also observe how his parents managed their finances but ensured their children had all the comforts. Prem Kohli died at 3 am on December 18, 2006, and this had a deep influence on Virat.

Virat wrote a sweet message to his mother on "mothers day" calling her a "very strong woman". Today he has made her proud with his cricketing achievements and she was there by his side when he won Khel Ratna and Padmashri. Virat's first ever tattoo was dedicated to his parents when he got "Prem" and "Saroj" inked on his body.

Childhood coach - Rajkumar Sharma

Virat Kohli joined West Delhi Cricket Academy in the year 1998 at the age of 9. Rajkumar Sharma, a former Delhi cricketer who was the founder and head coach took the young Virat under his wings. Rajkumar remembers Virat as a very curious child who oozed talent. Virat would always pester Rajkumar to allow him to play with seniors as he felt that playing with kids of his age-group did not excite him.

When he was not getting selected in the Delhi side even after scoring tons of runs in the age-group levels, he was disappointed. Rajkumar advised Kohli to convert his hundreds into two-hundreds and his double hundreds into three-hundreds. He took this advice seriously and started shattering records in school cricket. Eventually, he was selected by Atul Wassan in the Delhi side at the age of 15.

Virat has always admired his coach and shares a special bondage with him. He even gifted him a Skoda Rapid on Teachers day in 2014. Rajkumar Sharma was awarded the prestigious Dronacharya Award for his contributions in developing, honing and nurturing the young talent who has become a giant in world cricket.

Chief Selector - Dilip Vengsarkar

Former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar played a major role in Virat's selection to the national team in the year 2008. India had won the CB series and the blueprint was to invest on youngsters keeping the 2011 World Cup in mind. India had won the U-19 World Cup in Virat's leadership and he felt the youngster was ready to play for India. Vengsarkar selected a 19-year old Kohli to play in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2008.

Kohli was dropped after a string of poor performances and eventually lost his place in the side. He was in the fringes playing the touring Australians in the Board Presidents XI and also the Emerging players tour in Australia.

In the final, Kohli opened the batting with Shikhar Dhawan and scored an unbeaten 120 against a New Zealand side which had the likes of Chris Martin, Tim Southee, and Corey Anderson. This convinced Vengsarkar who was there in Hobart to witness the game and he re-selected Kohli in 2009 for the Champions Trophy in place of the injured Yuvraj Singh.

Well, as they say, rest is history. Virat did not just cement his place, but he has gone onto become a worldbeater.

Captain Cool - MS Dhoni

The man who transformed Kohli

MS Dhoni has played a massive role in transforming youngsters at the highest arena. When Kohli was selected in the side, Dhoni first gave him an opportunity against Sri Lanka in 2008 and Kohli scored 174 runs in 5 games. Once Dhoni spotted Kohli's talent and his fielding abilities, he made him a regular member of the Indian team and gave him opportunities to bat at number 3.

When Kohli established himself as a dependable batsman, Dhoni looking at the future drafted Kohli in the Test side against West Indies in 2011. Kohli had a poor start and experts labeled him as an ODI specialist. This did not deter Dhoni, who gave him opportunities in Australia in the dreaded 2011-12 tour and Kohli emerged as the highest run-getter with 300 runs. Dhoni supported Kohli after a horror show in England in 2014 and termed it as an aberration.

Dhoni made Kohli his vice-captain in 2012 and eventually handed him the full-time captaincy in 2014-15. Kohli now captains India in all the three formats. However, Kohli shares a special friendship with Dhoni and the duo have publicly acknowledged it many times. Kohli has gone on record to tell that, he owes his career to Dhoni and the influence he has had on him.

Kohli has been vocal for his support to Dhoni and takes on the media every single time if there is a question on Dhoni's retirement or form.

Wife - Anushka Sharma

Well, Anushka Sharma needs no introduction as she is a heartthrob to millions and one of the most successful actresses in Bollywood. Anushka and Virat started dating each other in 2013 after a Head and Shoulders ad got them together. Anushka would come down to support Virat and he would famously blow kisses to her after a milestone. They had to endure tough times in their relationship in early 2016 and got back together stronger. They eventually tied the knot on December 11, 2017, and are just a few days away from their first wedding anniversary.

Virat has categorically stated Anushka as one of his greatest motivators. Anushka has supported Virat through his tough times by giving him the strength and the necessary will to fight it out. Anushka faced flak from public and media for Kohli's failures in 2015 and she maintained a dignified silence. Virat has stated that Anushka has made him more spiritual and focused and saves him from unnecessary distractions related to social media.

Virat has tasted phenomenal success in cricket after marriage and Anushka should be credited for this, to keep him in a good space. She balances her shooting assignments well to spend quality time with Virat during the tours. Whenever Kohli scores a hundred, he shows his engagement ring as a tribute and an unflinching love for his wife. She has mentioned in her interviews that she is married to the best man in the world.

With Anushka by his side, Virat will be turning a few more stones into milestones. Any ardent Indian fan would hope that Anushka provides the much-needed luck to Virat in the upcoming Test series against Australia in 2018-19 as a batsman and more-so as a captain.