NEW DELHI: Speaking at a recent social event, Star India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli reminisced about the early days of his career, highlighting the absence of social media and fan clubs.
He emphasized the reliance on skills during that era and the limited opportunities players had to establish themselves internationally. Kohli also touched upon the camaraderie between Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill, referring to their bromance.Virat, who is currently active in the Indian Premier League 2024 with RCB, reflected on the importance of seizing opportunities during his initial years in international cricket. Clips from his speech at the event have since gone viral on social media platforms.
He also emphasized the importance of recognizing the opportunity and platform that future stars of Indian cricket receive and urged them to respect it.
“Every era has its own transition, though we (he and senior players) often talk about this. Sometimes, when you have a lot of opportunities, you do not recognise the magnitude of those opportunities. During our time, we knew that we had only 4-5 matches to prove ourselves. At that time, fan clubs did not exist,” Kohli said.

“This social media stuff was non-existent. You were only and only dependent on your skill. That is how we have grown up. If I do not perform, no one is going to keep me there just because my supporters feel I am a good player, or there can be a narrative in the public or in the media.”
“That is how we have been groomed. That is the message we try to pass forward [to the youngsters]–recognise what platform you are getting and be respectful of it,” Kohli concluded his point.
Virat also revealed that youngsters Ishan and Shubman are very close friends and are inseparable during tours. He went on to call them as the ‘Sita-Gita’ of the team.
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“Sita-Gita, Ishan aur Shubman. Pata nahi kya chakkar hai bhai, mai bol nahi sakta zyada cheezein lekin…. Dono bohot ache dost hain. Basically, voh akele nahi reh sakte tour pe. To, khana khane bulalo, saath me aayenge, baat karne bulalo saath me hi aayenge. Kabhi maine dekha hi nahi ki voh akele ho. Lekin genuinely, bohot ache dost hain,” said Virat. (Ishan and Shubman are really good friends. Basically, they cannot stay alone on tours. If you invite them to eat, they will come together, invite them for a chat, they will come together only. I have never seen them alone and apart. But genuinely, they are great friends.)
Virat is the leading run-scorer in the IPL 2024, scoring 316 runs in five matches at an average of 105.33 and a strike rate of over 146, with a century and two fifties. His best score is 113*.
While MI opened their account after three losses with a win over Delhi Capitals, RCB aim to overcome a three-match losing streak, succumbing to Rajasthan Royals in their last encounter. Virat’s team, RCB, is off to a poor start in the IPL this year, having won only one out of their five matches so far.
(With ANI inputs)