‘Virat Kohli and I played a game against each other’ – Saqib Saleem’s astonishing revelation about Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli and Saqeeb Saleem. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli recently bid farewell to the shortest format after clinching the T20 World Cup 2024, leaving fans and fellow players alike reminded about the moments that defined his illustrious career.

Among those sharing their memories is Bollywood actor Saqib Saleem, who recently made a sensational revelation about his early encounter with a young Kohli. During a YouTube podcast hosted by Shubhankar Mishra, Saleem recounted a pivotal moment from his youth cricket days.

“Bhai jab main U-19 khela tha from Kashmir, he was playing from Delhi. So we played a game against each other and when I saw him bat, I realized that he would play for India one day. I don’t know about senior cricket, but in junior cricket in the U-16 and U-19 categories, the first time I saw Virat bat was in a club-level tournament,” Saqib said.

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15-year-old Virat Kohli back then hit all the bowlers around the park: Saqib Saleem

Saleem’s revelation provides a peek into Kohli’s prodigious talent, even at a tender age. The actor vividly described watching a 15-year-old Kohli during a club-level tournament, where the young batter’s abilities were already evident.

“A 15-year-old Virat Kohli back then hit all the bowlers around the park and he was not hitting small sixes he was hitting them big, almost out of the school. So at that point, I realized that he is a different type of talent,” he added.

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Kohli’s final T20I performance, a match-winning 76 in the World Cup final, earned him the well-deserved Player of the Match award in his final outing in the shortest format of the game. The 35-year-old will be next seen in action in the ODI series against Sri Lanka starting from August 02. On the other hand, the 36-year-old actor is currently promoting his film ‘Kakuda’ also starring, Riteish Deshmukh and Sonakshi Sinha.