We all know that Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli goes by the nickname ‘Chiku’, something which was popularised by wicketkeeper and Virat’s former captain MS Dhoni.
Many a times, Dhoni was heard on the stump mic addressing Virat by his nickname during matches.
But contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t Dhoni who gave Virat his unusual nickname. And skipper Virat Kohli clarified that fact during his one-hour long chat session on Instagram with former England cricketer Kevin Pieterson on Thursday, 2 April.
"MS (Dhoni) has sort of made my nickname famous from behind the stumps. In the stumps'' mic, people pick up," Virat told Pieterson
Later in the chat, Virat revealed that it was his first-class cricket coach who gave him the nickname ''Chiku''.
“I got this nickname from a coach in the Ranji Trophy.”Virat Kohli
Virat went on to explain why his coach thought it was appropriate to call him ‘Chiku’.
“I used to have big cheeks then. In 2007, I thought I was losing hair. I got my hair cropped and my cheeks and ears stood out. I got the name from a cartoon character. The rabbit in the comic book Champak.”Virat Kohli
Meanwhile, before the interview had begun, Pietersen had shared a picture of Kohli''s younger days and asked him about the photo.
Virat laughed at the picture before saying: "I don''t recognise him anymore.”