"A 15-year-old boy was batting and he hit everybody" - Actor Saqib Saleem recalls watching a young Virat Kohli batÂ
Indian actor Saqib Saleem recently spoke about how he has played Under-19 cricket against Virat Kohli. Saqib revealed that was part of the Jammu and Kashmir team at the time when Kohli was representing Delhi in age-group cricket.
The Race 3 actor mentioned that the first time he saw Kohli bat was during a club match in Delhi. He revealed that a 15-year-old Kohli took the bowlers to the cleaners, not even sparing the likes of Sarandeep Singh and Rahul Sanghvi, who had played for India in international cricket.
Speaking on journalist Shubmankar Mishra's podcast, here's what Saqib said about Kohli (from 26:56):
"When I played Under-19 from Kashmir, he was playing for Delhi. We played a game against each other. When I saw him play, I realized that he would surely play for India one day. The first time I saw Virat bat was in a club-level tournament. Sarandeep Singh and Rahul Sanghvi, who had played for India, were in the opposition team.
"A 15-year-old boy was batting and he hit everybody to different sides of the park. The match was at Modern School on Barakhamba Road and his sixes landed outside of the school. At that point, I realized this is a different type of talent."
Saqib Saleem stated that he also played against pacers Ishant Sharma and Mohit Sharma. He suggested that Ishant had the nickname of 'Lambu' while Mohit was hailed as 'Faridabad ka Brett Lee' at that time, adding (27:56):
"Ishant Sharma was also in that same batch. Everybody at that point used to call him 'Lambu'. Mohit Sharma used to be called 'Faridabad ka Brett Lee'. So, I've been around and played against all these guys."
While Saqib Saleem left his cricketing dream to pursue a career in acting, he continues to play the sport from time to time and has represented Mumbai Heroes in the Celebrity Cricket League.
"I love Virat Kohli and the brand of cricket he play" - Saqib Saleem on supporting RCB
During the aforementioned podcast, Saqib Saleem picked Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as his favorite Indian Premier League (IPL) team. He commented that he roots for the team because of Virat Kohli.
The 36-year-old remarked that he also supports Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as he is an MS Dhoni fan. Saqib said (33:56):
"I love Virat Kohli and the brand of cricket he plays. We also play cricket. In my head, when I am playing, I am channeling my Virat Kohli. I really enjoy his style of cricket and that's why RCB. And of course, there is one team that I support always. It is CSK, because of Dhoni. If they are playing RCB, I want RCB to win but Dhoni to have a good match."
Virat Kohli will next be seen in action during India's upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. The first ODI will be played in Colombo on August 2.