"Everyone Was Passing the Ball Only to Virat" - Former Indian Cricketer Shares Behind-the-Scenes Story Ahead of Kohli’s Test Farewell

Former India cricketer Sarandeep Singh shared an interesting story from when Virat Kohli came to play a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi against Railways before his Test retirement. He returned to the domestic tournament in the 2024-25 season after a 12-year break.

Talking on former cricketer Taruwar Kohli's YouTube channel, Sarandeep Singh said that while playing football during training before the game, all the Delhi players only passed the ball to Virat. He added that the players were a little hesitant to go near him at first, but Virat made them feel comfortable. Sarandeep Singh is the head coach of Delhi's senior cricket team.

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Everyone Was Passing the Ball Only to Virat

Talking on former cricketer Taruwar Kohli's YouTube channel, Sarandeep Singh said that while playing football during training before the game, all the Delhi players were only passing the ball to Virat. He added that the players were a little hesitant to go near him, but Virat made them feel comfortable. Sarandeep Singh is the head coach of Delhi's senior cricket team.

“They were playing football during training, and everyone was passing the ball only to Virat. I stopped the game in between and told Yash Dhull, who had been shouting for a long time, ‘Give him the ball too.’ The players said, ‘No, no, Virat is standing there.’ No one was going near him, thinking they might step on his foot by mistake. Virat then spoke to everyone, sat with the players, and made them feel at ease,” he recalled.

Kohli’s Discipline Inspires Delhi Team

He also remembered how the Delhi Ranji Trophy team players learned good habits from Kohli during their game against Railways earlier this year. The match attracted more than 20,000 people in the first two days at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

“When he came to Delhi to play the Ranji Trophy game, we saw his aura. The atmosphere felt like an international match, not a domestic game. His intensity was the same every day – practice with the red ball, proper gym sessions, and focused batting and fielding.”

“He was very disciplined, and it helped the Delhi cricketers a lot during the six to seven days he shared the dressing room with them. He taught them many things – like if you want to perform well, you have to be disciplined. The more discipline you have, the better your game will be,” he added.

Virat Kohli ended his career with 123 Tests, scoring 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 hundreds and 31 half-centuries.