Virat Kohli opens up about his nickname, adds MS Dhoni played a part in making it famous
Virat Kohli, in a chat show along with Aamir Khan, cleared the air behind his nickname 'Cheeku'. The Indian captain was involved in a candid chat with the Bollywood star and brushed upon other aspects of his life as well, according to journalist Sameer Allana's series of tweets last night. The show is yet to be televised.
The incident Kohli credited his nickname to was of the time when he was coming up through the ranks in domestic cricket. He said that during his under-17 days, post a haircut which made 'his ears look big', his teammates and others had started calling him 'Cheeku' as he resembled a rabbit. He further added that MS Dhoni picked it up and so did the stump-mic, making it the talk of the town.
Aamir Khan also asked the 28-year-old about how he felt while taking the field after Sachin Tendulkar's departure in the 2011 World Cup final. In reply to which, Kohli said that like everyone else, even he thought the game is gone.
The then-22-year-old walked out to bat after Tendulkar was ousted by Malinga, who had also caught Sehwag leg before on the second delivery of the chase. Kohli then stitched an 83-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir for the third wicket and was caught and bowled by Dilshan for a patient 49-ball-35.
The actor, despite the fact that Kohli has almost 50 centuries in international cricket, termed the knock as his favourite of the batsman.
Expanding on how he felt for the first few minutes while batting in the all-important match, the Indian captain said that he was hoping that Malinga doesn't spray him with yorkers early on. However, the now-Indian skipper was quick to add that he settled down after seeing off the first few deliveries.
During the same show, Kohli also opened up about his relationship with Aamir's colleague Anushka Sharma, saying that she has helped him improve as a person in the last 3-4 years.
Kohli's RCB and India teammate KL Rahul also made an appearance through a pre-recorded video where he revealed that his captain likes to show off and roams around shirtless in the dressing room. KL did praise the skipper's fitness and his ability to keep improving consistently though.
The Indian team, and Kohli, are now gearing up for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Australia after a 4-1 victory in the ODI series. The first T20 will be played on 7th October in Ranchi.