"Treat this just like an outing with your family" - When Virat Kohli comforted a nervous Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya and Mukesh Chaudhary traveled with Team India as net bowlers for their preparatory camp in Perth ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup. It was quite a moment for the two youngsters as they got to rub shoulders with some of the biggest stars in Indian cricket.
Any newcomer to the Indian team is bound to get nervous with so many big names around and Sakariya was no different. The left-arm pacer revealed, however, that former Indian captain Virat Kohli comforted him and told him to treat this as just a normal outing.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Chetan Sakariya opened up on his conversation with Kohli. He said:
"When Mukesh Bhai and I went there, we were too nervous and used to stay together. But all the senior players are very good at heart. Virat bhai told me, 'Don't get nervous. Treat this just like an outing with your family. Just think that you're playing in the IPL [Indian Premier League].'"
Virat Kohli with Mukesh Choudhary and Chetan Sakariya at Perth. https://t.co/VH31gMXidU
Chetan Sakariya on how Virat Kohli interacted with fans
Coming from a humble background, Chetan Sakariya traveled business class for the first time in his life while linking up with the team for the 2022 T20 World Cup. It was a unique experience for him as he got to spend even more time with Virat Kohli and other Indian stars.
In fact, he was moved to see how calmly the Indian stars handled the fans who rushed around them to take pictures. On this, Sakariya stated:
"I remember every single experience of the T20 World Cup very well. I travelled in business class for the very first time and it was a different experience altogether.
"I was shocked to see the calmness with which big players like Virat Kohli handled their fans when they swarmed around them for photos and autographs. I realized that only legends of the game can show such calmness."
While the T20 World Cup ended in disappointing fashion for India, Sakariya would have certainly learned a lot from rubbing shoulders with the team's superstars.