TimesofIndia.com in London:
Many prominent current and former cricketers assembled under one roof for the gala dinner hosted by Yuvraj Singh to raise funds for his YouWeCan Foundation. The entire Indian cricket team, including the support staff led by Gautam Gambhir, was in attendance and the star-studded gathering included the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, Brian Lara and Ashish Nehra.Team India stayed for a little over an hour and participated in some fun activities before leaving the plush hotel in the heart of the city. Just when everyone was well settled for the dinner, and waiting for the other activities to begin, the giant screen flashed a familiar face as former India Test captain Virat Kohli was seen chatting with his friend Kevin Pietersen while having a bite. Next up was a candid chat hosted by Gaurav Kapoor and it featured former India head coach Ravi Shastri, cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle and Darren Gough. The initial segment didn’t feature Kohli on the stage but after insistence from Gaurav, he made his way up and joined the rest of the pack. A trademark meet-and-greet with Chris Gayle later, he gave a rare reaction on Test retirement when Gaurav said that everyone misses him on the field. “I just coloured my beard two days ago. You know it’s time when you are colouring your beard every four days,” says Kohli.
He had his former coach Shastri by his side and the two lavished praise on each other for the support during their time together with the Indian cricket team. Kohli spoke at length about his bond with the former India cricketer and how it helped him become the Test cricketer he did, and achieve what he did for the country.“Honestly, if I wasn’t working with him… what happened in Test cricket wouldn’t have been possible. The clarity which we had together is very hard to find. It’s everything for cricketers to grow in their careers. Even he hadn’t backed me the way he did… those press conferences where he took the bullets from the front line. Things would have been different and I always have respect and regard for him, for being a massive part of my cricketing journey,” says Kohli.
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As a youngster in the dressing room, Kohli spent a lot of time with Yuvraj and the two shared a very good bond – both on and off the field. The 36-year-old, who is in London for a lot of time these days, still remembers the first meeting between the two, his journey during the 2011 World Cup, the battle with cancer and that return to India colours.“We shared a very good bond both on and off the field. I met him for the first time during a North Zone tournament in Bangalore. When I started playing for India, him, bhajju pa and Zaheer Khan took me under their wings. Really helped me grow as a player, made me comfortable in the dressing room. Lot of fun times off the field and made me aware of the lifestyle of getting to the top. These are the bonds I would cherish for the rest of my life. Watching him in the World Cup was very special and what we got to know after that was a shock. Being so close to him… we had no idea. Then his battle with cancer and again the champion that he is... coming on top and making a comeback to the team when I was leading the team.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?“I clearly remember we played a game against England in Cuttack. There was a 2017 series we played at home and top-order got out early and Yuvi pa got 150 I think and MS scored 110 or something. I still remember telling KL or someone that this is like childhood days watching on big tv… I have a lot of love and respect for him. It’s a pleasure being here and I won’t do it for any other person but him,” says Kohli.The conversations continued, the drinks continued to be poured into glasses of different shapes and sizes and the money continued to be raised for the noble cause. Amid all the noise, Kohli quietly left the stage, met his friend Gaurav and made his way to the hotel lobby with very minimal security. The area was briefly cordoned off but the moment he was out of the building, normalcy resumed.
