Virat Kohli's Childhood Coach Suresh Batra Dies At 53

Delhi-based Suresh Batra, alongside chief coach Rajkumar Sharma, helped Kohli sharpen his cricketing skills at the West Delhi Cricket Academy until he was ready to play at bigger stages. 

Photo Courtesy: Vijay Lokapally / Twitter

Delhi-based Suresh Batra, who was assistant coach to Rajkumar Sharma and one of Virat Kohli's childhood coaches when he joined their academy to train, passed away on Thursday at the age of 53. Senior cricket journalist Vijay Lokapally took to Twitter to share the news. As per Lokapally, Batra collapsed and died after finishing his daily morning prayers.

“Suresh Batra (striped t-shirt), who coached  @imVkohli when he was a teenager, passed away on Thursday. He had finished his daily morning puja and collapsed. He was 53,” Lokapally tweeted.

The senior journalist quoted Rajkumar Sharma, Kohli’s childhood coach, as saying, “I lost my younger brother. Knew him since 1985.”

Batra, alongside chief coach Rajkumar Sharma, helped Kohli sharpen his cricketing skills at the West Delhi Cricket Academy until he was ready to play at bigger stages. Apart from Kohli, Batra had also trained Manjot Kalra, who scored a century in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup.