NEW DELHI: At M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, where a segment of the former Indian team Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina had an interaction on JioCinema recently just prior to the IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
This meeting was also a way of reminding him what had happened during an important stage of his career in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia 2008. Kohli told how Raina’s action helped him gain an opportunity to show his sporting skill.
Initially he was not selected in the playing XI, this decision was made by then coach Pravin Amre. After seeing Kohli’s batting skills in nets, Raina proposed him.
Kohli remembered:
“Around 2008 I think it was. It was an Indian match which we played in 2008 at the Emerging Players tournament in Australia. The Emerging Players tournament at that point of time was like kind of best players who were on verge of playing for their country were coming there so it was very important tournament for us. I still remember about those times when I think may be Rains must have heard about me or something and he came mid-tournament first he wasn’t captain but when Rains came he took over as captain initial captain; Praveen Amre our coach and he kept me out of the playing eleven.
“So Raina saw me playing in the nets and asked Amre sir why I wasn’t playing. While Ajinkya Rahane used to open, I used to bat somewhere around four or five number. There is no slot available for you said Amre sir referring to team being full. Then Tamil Nadu batsman literally forced my name into this side so Praveen sir called me up and asked if would u want to open?” said ex-RCB skipper.
“Anything (bat anywhere), I will do just give me a chance to play. So I opened against New Zealand. It was then that Dilip Vengsarkar sir was the selector. I scored 120 not out and he would have decided there and then probably that he needed to give me more chances,” said Kohli, giving credit to Raina for getting him into cricket at the beginning.
After CSK’s comprehensive win over RCB in their tournament opener, the two sides will face off again at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday for a playoff spot. This is an important match as it will decide which team takes the last remaining slot in the playoffs along with Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
