Virat Kohli, captain of the victorious under-19 team, dedicates this World Cup win to his biggest fan: his father. Like most fathers, Prem Kohli, always insisted Virat put his studies before cricket. But after he saw Virat’s dedication to the game, he became a strong supporter of his son’s cricketing dreams.
Virat’s father is no more. He passed away in December 2006 after being bed-ridden for a month due to a stroke. Today, fond memories of his beloved father haunt Virat as he joins his family and the nation in celebrating the team’s success.
“My father’s death has strengthened me,” he said. “I matured as a person and became more and more dedicated towards cricket.”
Vikas Kohli, Virat’s brother, remembers a day in the year 2005 when Virat was in England for a tournament and their father remained hooked to the Internet watching live updates of the match.
“My father would get really excited when Virat was selected to play a tournament,” Vikas said. “He would tell everybody ‘mere beta ka selection ho gaya.’ Virat ko ajeeb lagta tha.” (‘My son got selected’ but sometimes Virat felt awkward about all the attention.)
Virat’s all praise for is Coach Rajkumar Sharma. “He has been with me for 10 years now and has completely changed me. I am and will always be grateful to him,” he said. Although Virat has proved his hand in both batting and bowling, he wants to emulate the batting style of Herschelle Gibbs.
Pradeep Sangwan, the other 17-year-old player from Delhi, worships Waseem Akram. However, if he gets selected to play for Team India, Pradeep said his dream is to play like the skipper Zaheer Khan. “Waise to main Waseem Akram jaisa banana chahta hoon, lekin agar Indian team se dekhen to main Zaheer Khan ki tarah consistent performance dena chahoonga apni team ke liye.” (Although I want to play like Waseem Akram, if you ask about Team India then I would like to perform as consistently as Zaheer Khan does.)
Pradeep’s coach, Amar Nath Sharma, who has also trained Virender Sehwag, has great things to say about Pradeep. “Pradeep is an aggressive player and has a killer instinct. That’s what a fast bowler should have,” he said. Sharma praised Pradeep’s sense of curiosity. “This attitude is hard to find in others, as they just blindly follow me and never discuss any problem with me,” said Sharma.
Pradeep’s family shifted from Haryana to Najafgarh in Delhi a few years back. At first, it was Pradeep’s elder brother Sandeep Sangwan who harboured dreams of becoming a professional cricketer. “But by the time we came to Delhi, I was too old to train as a cricketer. So I decided to make Pradeep a cricket player.”
According to Sandeep, Pradeep was always more interested in cricket than his studies. “Pradeep never showed much interest in his studies,” Sandeep said with a chuckle. “He is in the 11th class right now. We never received any complaints from his school either because his school is also more sports oriented.”
For Pradeep, failures have only given him confidence to do better. Although he was a little upset about his individual performance in the World Cup tournament, the team’s overall victory matters most to him. Pradeep’s friend Kapil Yadav recalls, “Once in an inter-school cricket competition, he couldn’t play well in the first match and was quite depressed. But it boosted his confidence and he took nine wickets in another match. I have never seen such a committed guy. He has a routine which he follows through out the year, no matter what.”
Even as Virat and Pradeep bask in the attention and affection showered by the media and their fans, they also want to ensure that they are not distracted from their goals.
When asked how he would deal with a Yuvraj Singh-Deepika Padukone-type issue, Virat said, “It’s a part of the process. I just want to be normal. I would never drag myself into controversies. I will have a girl friend in the future but I won’t publicise it.” Virat’s brother, Vikas, also has a say on this issue. “I have always been strict in such matters. Virat should concentrate on his career,” he said.
Pradeep’s brother, Sandeep, added, “Pradeep is very close to me. Most of the time I am with him, even during his practice sessions.” For now, the players are on cloud nine. Pradeep said: Khushi hoti hai, achcha lagta hai, lautne ke baad pata chalta hai kuch fans mere bhi hain.” (I feel happy. I feel good. On returning, I realised I have some fans as well.)
Virat’s father is no more. He passed away in December 2006 after being bed-ridden for a month due to a stroke. Today, fond memories of his beloved father haunt Virat as he joins his family and the nation in celebrating the team’s success.
“My father’s death has strengthened me,” he said. “I matured as a person and became more and more dedicated towards cricket.”
Vikas Kohli, Virat’s brother, remembers a day in the year 2005 when Virat was in England for a tournament and their father remained hooked to the Internet watching live updates of the match.
“My father would get really excited when Virat was selected to play a tournament,” Vikas said. “He would tell everybody ‘mere beta ka selection ho gaya.’ Virat ko ajeeb lagta tha.” (‘My son got selected’ but sometimes Virat felt awkward about all the attention.)
Virat’s all praise for is Coach Rajkumar Sharma. “He has been with me for 10 years now and has completely changed me. I am and will always be grateful to him,” he said. Although Virat has proved his hand in both batting and bowling, he wants to emulate the batting style of Herschelle Gibbs.
Pradeep Sangwan, the other 17-year-old player from Delhi, worships Waseem Akram. However, if he gets selected to play for Team India, Pradeep said his dream is to play like the skipper Zaheer Khan. “Waise to main Waseem Akram jaisa banana chahta hoon, lekin agar Indian team se dekhen to main Zaheer Khan ki tarah consistent performance dena chahoonga apni team ke liye.” (Although I want to play like Waseem Akram, if you ask about Team India then I would like to perform as consistently as Zaheer Khan does.)
Pradeep’s coach, Amar Nath Sharma, who has also trained Virender Sehwag, has great things to say about Pradeep. “Pradeep is an aggressive player and has a killer instinct. That’s what a fast bowler should have,” he said. Sharma praised Pradeep’s sense of curiosity. “This attitude is hard to find in others, as they just blindly follow me and never discuss any problem with me,” said Sharma.
Pradeep’s family shifted from Haryana to Najafgarh in Delhi a few years back. At first, it was Pradeep’s elder brother Sandeep Sangwan who harboured dreams of becoming a professional cricketer. “But by the time we came to Delhi, I was too old to train as a cricketer. So I decided to make Pradeep a cricket player.”
According to Sandeep, Pradeep was always more interested in cricket than his studies. “Pradeep never showed much interest in his studies,” Sandeep said with a chuckle. “He is in the 11th class right now. We never received any complaints from his school either because his school is also more sports oriented.”
For Pradeep, failures have only given him confidence to do better. Although he was a little upset about his individual performance in the World Cup tournament, the team’s overall victory matters most to him. Pradeep’s friend Kapil Yadav recalls, “Once in an inter-school cricket competition, he couldn’t play well in the first match and was quite depressed. But it boosted his confidence and he took nine wickets in another match. I have never seen such a committed guy. He has a routine which he follows through out the year, no matter what.”
Even as Virat and Pradeep bask in the attention and affection showered by the media and their fans, they also want to ensure that they are not distracted from their goals.
When asked how he would deal with a Yuvraj Singh-Deepika Padukone-type issue, Virat said, “It’s a part of the process. I just want to be normal. I would never drag myself into controversies. I will have a girl friend in the future but I won’t publicise it.” Virat’s brother, Vikas, also has a say on this issue. “I have always been strict in such matters. Virat should concentrate on his career,” he said.
Pradeep’s brother, Sandeep, added, “Pradeep is very close to me. Most of the time I am with him, even during his practice sessions.” For now, the players are on cloud nine. Pradeep said: Khushi hoti hai, achcha lagta hai, lautne ke baad pata chalta hai kuch fans mere bhi hain.” (I feel happy. I feel good. On returning, I realised I have some fans as well.)
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