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Virat Kohli narrates an incident from his early days as India player when his action surprised legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar (left) and Virat Kohli share a light moment. (AFP Photo)
Virat Kohli has revisited his first meeting with Sachin Tendulkar after he became part of the Indian dressing room in 2008. During an ODI home series against England that year, some senior members of the squad including Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Munaf Patel decided to pull a prank on the Kohli.
The young Kohli was told it is customary for youngsters to bow down to Tendulkar. Being a newcomer, Kohli followed the instructions.
Tendulkar, however, was bepuzzled when Kohli touched his feet.
“The first time I met him (Tendulkar), main pairon mein gir gaya unke, maine kaha karna padta hoga, (I fell on his feet, I thought this might be normal). Wo pichhe hat rahe hai, ki kya kar rahe ho tum, (He moved back puzzled, asking what I was doing),” Kohli said during an event.
“Main unko bhi nahi bol paa raha ki paaji mujhe bola tha karna padhta hai yaha pe, (I could not even tell him that I was asked to do this),” he added.
Tendulkar quickly realised the prank as the other senior players in the dressing room were keenly watching Kohli.
“He gave all these guys a little bit. Irfan (Pathan) bhai was there, Bhajju pa (Harbhajan Singh) was there, Yuvi pa (Yuvraj Singh) was there, and Munaf Patel was there, of course. He used to be the one cheering from behind in his unique voice. Unhone sabne mereko fasaya, [All of them pranked me],” Kohli recalled.
Kohli first donned the Indian jersey during an ODI series in Sri Lanka in 2008 but Tendulkar was not part of the tour as he was rested.
Kohli was called up as his replacement and was given the task of opening the innings with Gautam Gambhir.
Kohli and Tendulkar first time played together in 2009, representing India in the Compaq Cup final. Since then, Kohli has become one of the greatest batters of the modern era and even broken a few records held by Tendulkar.
During the 2023 ODI World Cup, Kohli surpassed Tendulkar on the list of most centuries in the 50-over format.
Kohli scored his 50th ODI ton in the semi-final against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium with Tendulkar himself present in the stands then. And Kohli showed his respect to the legend by bowing down to him.
