It was meant to be Virat Kohli’s evening in the presence of an elite gathering. After all, he was the subject of a book titled Driven — The Virat Kohli Story that was set to be launched.
But before long, the India Test captain was to feel completely humbled by what followed.
His eyes stayed firmly on the ground as some illustrious names from the cricketing world heaped lavish praise on him.
After all, it is not often that the likes of Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Ravi Shastri and Virender Sehwag come together on a single platform to hail a ‘star’.
A man in form, Kohli has more than caught the imagination of the new generation of cricket lovers.
From being just another talented name to one possessing the traits of a champion player, Kohli has come a long way.
Penned by Vijay Lokapally of The Hindu , the book traces Kohli’s journey from junior cricket to leading the team to success in Tests.
Peppered with untold anecdotes, the 221-page book published by Bloomsbury, provides insight into the making of a cricketer, a celebrity and an icon the nation loves.
“I feel blessed to be talked about in such vein by some of my cricketing icons. It is unbelievable… I can’t even say it’s a dream come true… because I never dreamt anything quite like this,” said Kohli.
When talking of Lokapally, the admiration and respect in Kohli’s voice was hard to miss. “I don’t think any journalist knows me better than Vijay sir, who has seen me from my school days. I’ve started reading the book and trust me when I say, it is me. Just me.”
Right timingMoreover, the timing of the launch seemed just right. Fresh from scoring his highest in Tests and playing a pivotal role in India’s triumph in the first one-dayer at Dharamshala, Kohli is clearly on a roll, in a year that has seen him excel in all three formats.
In the presence of Abbas Ali Baig, Chetan Chauhan, Aunshuman Gaekwad, Ajay Jadeja, Ashish Nehra, Anjum Chopra, Murali Kartik, Gursharan Singh, Sunil Valson, Vivek Razdan, Vijay Dahiya, Hari Gidwani, the two current National selectors, Sarandeep Singh and Gagan Khoda, besides several Ranji Trophy cricketers and mediapersons, the book was officially launched.
In the on-stage discussion that followed, Kohli could be seen dealing with some degree of embarrassment as Kapil, Shastri, Kumble, Sehwag and coach Rajkumar Sharma — who chose to share what they thought made Kohli a cut above the rest — spoke about the illustrious cricketer in glowing terms.
Needless to emphasise, they all felt that Kohli was no ordinary talent. His work ethic and maturity had shaped his path of success.
SehwagspeakSehwag shared his first impression of Kohli. “Pradeep Sangwan told me there was a youngster (Kohli) who, though small in frame, is a strong batsman. ‘He can even surpass you’.”
Kapil and Shastri were in agreement in maintaining that Kohli had set the “bar very high.”
“He leads from the front and takes responsibility for the losses,” declared Shastri, the Director of the Indian team before Kumble was formally appointed the Chief coach this summer.
Finally, Lokapally signed off by saying, “The book is about the making of Virat and it’s my attempt to follow the trajectory of his rise.”
