My Father Refused To Bribe Cricket Official For My Selection: Virat Kohli

Team India captain Virat Kohli also revealed how priceless advice from his father helped in shaping up his career.

Photo: @ICC (Twitter)

New Delhi: Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, during an hour-long Instagram interaction with Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri, recalled an incident when his father Prem refused to bribe an official. Skipper Kohli also revealed that despite him fulfilling all the merit criteria, he did not get selected as his father refused to bribe the official. "I have mentioned this before also. There was a time when in state cricket, a lot of things happen, you know many factors which are not fair," Kohli told Chhetri. "There was an opportunity, where a certain someone chose to step out of the rules and say, 'here's the situation you'd need a bit more than just merit to get selected'," team India skipper added. "My father said to my coach, 'if he (Virat) can play on his merit, then fine else we do not want to play him. I won't do all this'. "And I was not selected and I cried a lot, I was broken," said Kohli. Skipper Kohli also revealed how priceless advice from his father helped in shaping up his career. "My father was very clear that you have to study along with playing. Only when you can say 'I am 200 percent confident that I will be able to make a career out of this,' then only you will focus on that one thing," Kohli said during his interaction with Chhetri. ICC shared a quote card of Kohli and their post read: "India skipper Virat Kohli shared some advice from his father that helped him keep his horizons broad while growing up."

India skipper Virat Kohli shared some advice from his father that helped him keep his horizons broad while growing up.#LoveCricket pic.twitter.com/KKDkNQk20u

— ICC (@ICC) May 18, 2020

When asked about which was Kohli's favourite Sachin knock, he picked 'The Desert Storm' innings played by Tendulkar against the Australians in 1998. "The one knock in international cricket you wished you had played?" Chhetri asked. "The 1998 desert storm," Kohli answered straight away. "Which one, the first one in the semi-final or the final?" Chhetri asked. "The first one where we qualified for the final," said Kohli.