Virat Kohli Is Mr Aura, Yet So Humble – Shivam Sharma Recalls 3 Days of Euphoria

Per Shivam Sharma, Virat Kohli's aura was undeniable in Delhi's last game. Yet, his humility shone brighter.

Ranji Trophy: Shivam Sharma tells about his experience of playing alongside Virat Kohli.

(Photo: Shivam Sharma/Sourced and altered by The Quint)

Was it all a dream? A phantasmagoria unlike any other? If not, Shivam Sharma has yet to come to terms with the surreal actuality of the last three days.

Like any cricketer with a handful of domestic and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, Shivam has had his share of memorable moments – three Ranji Trophy fifers, including one in his last game, the prized wicket of Yuvraj Singh on his IPL debut, and a few other accolades to cherish.

Strip all of it away, and you would still find Shivam smiling. That is, until you go after the three days he spent as the teammate of Virat Kohli, from 30 January to 1 February, during Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Railways.

Dare not hint at recency bias being at play, as with firm conviction, Shivam tells The Quint:

I might forget everything from my cricket career, but I will never forget these last few days that I have spent with ‘the’ Virat Kohli.

Shivam Sharma

Had it been a dream, Shivam would have chosen to never wake up.

When the News Broke

That, the stalwarts of the Indian cricket team were made to feature in the Ranji Trophy, seemed punitive. For all its glory and heritage, stars, those acculturated to the opulence of international cricket and IPL, have frequently opted not to get their hands dirty in the plain Jane world of domestic tournaments.

Yet, Pat Cummins and his Australian side bowled so well, that the entire Indian Test contingent were seen playing domestic cricket. Virat Kohli, making a comeback after nearly thirteen years, featured against Railways after a neck strain ruled him out of the penultimate tie against Saurashtra.

The update engendered euphoria in an otherwise disconsolate Delhi team.

We had initially heard Virat bhaiya will be coming to Rajkot, to play in our penultimate game against Saurashtra. But then when we got to know he was injured, everyone was so disappointed. It was during that match, that we were informed he would be fit to play the last game. The entire team was excited to hear the news.

Shivam Sharma

Up Close With ‘Mr Aura’

Despite being from the same state, the only time Shivam had crossed paths with Kohli was on his IPL debut in 2014. Representing Punjab, he dismissed two of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batters.

Anxious yet excited, he knew it could be the most effective ice-breaker.

I was a bit hesitant to approach him at first, to be honest. After all, he is ‘the’ Virat Kohli. But then I conjured up the courage to tell him that my IPL debut was against his team. He asked ‘Accha aisa hai? Kab tha match?’ (Really? When was the match?). So I shared the details of the game with him, and thankfully, he remembered.

Shivam Sharma

Soon, he breached the condescending mirage of Kohli’s portrayal, witnessing his congenial reality.

Once we started practising, I got to know him more. I asked him for feedback, he said I was doing a good job. What struck me about Virat bhaiya is how he is the same with everyone. He is not the person who will be friendly with only a select few. He is the same with everyone, cracks jokes with everyone. Delhi team mein kaafi chill mahaul rehta hai (the Delhi dressing room’s quite chill). Now that I’ve seen Virat bhaiya, I can say he is as chill as us.

Shivam Sharma

Amid all of his, Kohli’s ‘aura’ remained undeniable.

Virat Kohli is Mr Aura himself. Yes, he made all of us comfortable around him, but at the back of our minds, we all knew we were sharing the dressing room with ‘the’ Virat Kohli. It was no mean feat. That said, he was unfiltered with everyone.

Shivam Sharma

A Lot To Learn From One of the Greats

Despite Delhi being already eliminated from the tournament prior to the last game, Shivam reveals how focused Kohli was.

Every cricketer needs to learn discipline from Virat Kohli. I saw him train intensely, both during the batting sessions and the fielding drills. Although he is such a big superstar, he did not take Ranji Trophy lightly. We know he has struggled with outside-off balls recently, so he worked hard on leaving those deliveries at the nets. We got to learn this from Virat bhaiya, that irrespective of how big a cricketer you are, train your best for every match.

Shivam Sharma

Discipline is not the only lesson Kohli taught his Delhi teammates.

Another aspect I have learned from Virat bhaiya is how to exude confidence through your body language, irrespective of your performances. A batter will not always score runs, neither will a bowler always pick wickets. But what we can always do is stay confident. I saw how confident and energetic he was in the game, which got the rest of the boys pumped up as well.

Shivam Sharma

A Fifer, Lots of Love, & Some Hate

Shivam has had a love-hate relationship with the Virat Kohli fanbase since the match. Love stemmed from the off-spinner knocking off the stumps of Himanshu Sangwan, who had bowler Kohli for 6 in the first innings. Hate, meanwhile, stemmed from his fifer, for it prevented Kohli from batting in the second innings.

Shivam admits he did not want an innings victory, either.

People came up to congratulate me on the fifer, but they also mentioned I stopped Virat Kohli from batting in the second innings (laughs). To be honest, I wanted to see him bat again as well. It was surprising that the game folded so quickly.

Shivam Sharma

He also credits Kohli for his five-wicket haul, but more importantly, for signing the match-ball.

He was helping me adjust my pace and field setting in the second innings. When I walked up to him with the ball after my fifer, he asked ‘Wahi waala ball hai kya?’ (Is it the same ball from the game). I just wanted his autograph on the ball, but he left a very nice message as well. I will always cherish this.

Shivam Sharma

Shivam Sharma sharing the frame with Virat Kohli.

(Photo: Shivam Sharma/Sourced by The Quint)

A prized possession.

(Photo: Shivam Sharma/Sourced by The Quint)

Sharing the suggestions he received from India’s former captain, Shivam says:

Virat bhaiya has given me two suggestions. He has told me to prioritise my fitness, as he feels fitness is the most crucial aspect of longevity. Besides that, he has told me to keep working on the foundation I have built, so that I improve every year.

Shivam Sharma

What It Means

The participation of national stars in domestic cricket has long sparked debate. Critics harp on workload management and the qualitative standard of domestic matches – that is, the lack of it. The proponents resort to disappointing defeats such as the ones against New Zealand and Australia in recent times.

For Shivam, and many of his Delhi teammates, though, it was the most momentous experience bar none.

I saw how Virat Kohli goes out of his way to make everyone around him feel comfortable. I saw how, despite being the superstar that he is, he is so cordial with the lesser-known players like us. When we saw thousands of fans chanting ‘Kohli! Kohli!’ at the stadium, we were overawed by the occasion. It felt as if I was playing a Border Gavaskar Trophy Test match for India, not a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi. The crowd was there for Virat bhaiya, of course, but I will never forget how he ensured none of us felt any lesser than him.

Shivam Sharma

Advocating for the frequent involvement of renowned cricketers in domestic cricket, he has his arguments prepared.

I feel big cricketers should play Ranji Trophy whenever possible. You see, such a crowd would not have turned up for any random Delhi game. This is the biggest crowd I have ever seen in a domestic match. And it is not just about the crowd, but what the presence of a superstar in the dressing room does to the younger players. I can tell you honestly, that I feel we produced such a comeback against Railways because of Virat bhaiya’s presence. Our morale was very low after the thrashing against Saurashtra, but the moment bhaiya joined us, everyone felt super-energetic. All of us were motivated to do well, with him in the team. This is what happens when you get to play with stars

Shivam Sharma

By this, he might have meant ‘magic.’ For Shivam, and for many others, fans and players alike, those three days were nothing short of magic.