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Former Indian skipper and legendary batter Virat Kohli has thanked the former Indian batter Suresh Raina for helping him during his initial days. The statement came a day before Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s do-or-die fixture against Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru.
Kohli, who has been a batting mainstay for the Indian team for the past decade, came to the fore after his historic feat of leading India to glory in the 2008 U-19 World Cup. Since then, he has represented India in four ODI World Cups and five T20 World Cups. Also, the 35-year-old has led the Men in Blue from 2014-22 across the formats.
During an interview on Jio Cinema with Suresh Raina, Kohli talked about their meeting during the 2008 emerging trophy tournament and extended his gratitude to the former CSK star for pushing his name. He recapped their tour to Australia for the tournament when Suresh Raina came mid-way to lead the side and was handed an opportunity after various failures in the initial games.
He also said that replacing Ajinkya Rahane as an opener was never an easy task considering he was the permanent opener but due to the constant push by Raina, he got a chance and made an impressive 120 to start his career. He also reminisced some memorable moments with the former Gujarat Lions captain, which included Modi Nagar ki Shikanji, and Chole Kulche of Delhi.
Virat Kohli is next slated to appear in a do-or-die fixture against Chennai Super Kings on May 18 in Bengaluru following which he will take the charge of Indian batting order in the T20 World Cup 2024 which will be played from June 1-29, 2024 in the West Indies and the USA.
