New Delhi: It is no hidden secret that Indian skipper Virat Kohli admires and idolizes Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and the same came to the fore yet again when the India captain heaped praises on the cricket icon while interacting on a chat show with his football counterpart Sunil Chhetri.


When asked about which was Kohli's favourite Sachin knock and the one he wished to play, the Indian skipper did not blink an eye and straight away picked up the much acclaimed '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.

Tendulkar decimated a fairly strong Australian bowling attack by notching up a whirlwind 131-ball 143 to power India to the title clash of the Coca Cola Cup, though India ended up losing that match. But another hundred by Tendulkar in the final against Australia helped India win the title.

Kohli also remembered how Shane Warne made him look like a school boy in the IPL 2009. The Australian leg-spin legend was captaining Rajasthan Royals and Kohli was playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"I played against Shane Warne and he made me look like a fool in IPL 2009. Then there was a game in Rajasthan in 2011 and he was the captain, I played decent there... didn't hit him and he didn't get me out. We won the match and I remained unbeaten," Kohli said.

And Kohli also remembered the advice Warne gave to him: Never speak to bowlers. However, Kohli added rather sheepishly that he hardly followed the words as he always enjoyed a battle with the bowlers on the field.

"You know that is when he told me something after the game that 'never bite back.. never say something back to the bowler'. You know obviously I didn't listen because meri gaadi usi se chalti hai. Maine kaha chalne do (My game thrives because of the needle and I never changed it)," Kohli said.