There's no denying Virat Kohli's stature. The superstar batter has done wonders for the Indian cricket team over the years, establishing his stature as one of the finest in the world. It isn't just India where Virat enjoys a terriric fan-following but also outside the globe. Not just that, even some of Kohli's teammates are his fans, and an epic story of one such fan was narrated by India's former bowling coach Bharat Arun. And, that player was none other than pacer Mohammed Siraj.
Siraj entered the Indian team having already played under the captaincy of Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was there that the pacer had a chat with Arun, revealing how much he admired the then-franchise skipper Kohli.
"Siraj was Virat's biggest fan. After the first season with RCB, he came and told me 'Sir, mujhe Virat ki tarah banna hai (Sir, I want to be like Virat)," Arun revealed on Cricbuzz Special show 'The Rise of New India'.
"I think it was the hunger in him; he had seen what Virat has achieved. So I told him 'Agar Virat ki tarah banna hai, toh phir uski tarah bohut kuch sacrific karna padega (If you want to be like Virat, then like him, you'll have to sacrifice a lot of things)," he added.
It is quite common for budding batters to look up to Virat Kohli and say that they want to be like him. But for a bowler to say so, it was unique. But, that also highlights the impact Virat can have on a player, not just with his batting but his mindset.
But, when Siraj told Arun he wanted to be like Kohli, the former India bowling coach knew the iconic batter had a big influence on the pacer.
"In bowling, you can be somebody who can be remembered. He said 'No sir, I will do whatever it takes because I want to emulate him'. So the fact that he was such a Virat fan-boy and later on, getting to play under him and alongside him had a great influence on Mohammed Siraj," he further said.
from NDTV Sports-Cricket
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