Former Indian cricketer Unmukt Chand has opened up on comparisons with ace batter Virat Kohli when he first shot to fame, adding how he has seen the veteran cricketer as an inspiration and taken the comparisons in good
stride to improve himself in his career.
Unmukt spoke about having seen Kohli grow while he played domestic cricket alongside him for Delhi.
Unmukt had shared the dressing room with Kohli even before winning the 2012 U19 World Cup, in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments.
“I saw Virat growing in front of me. Four years back, he had won the World Cup. When I was playing Ranji Trophy before the World Cup itself, I was sharing the dressing room with him,” Unmukt said while speaking on The Raunac Podcast.
“So it was an inspiration to me. When people compare you to him (Kohli), I have to step up to fill those shoes and come to that level. I always look at it like that,” Unmukt said.
The former Indian cricketer added that he played with Kohli during his first appearance for Delhi during the 2010 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“My first season for Delhi was in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2010. Virat was in the team and I spoke a lot with him at that time. He was there in my Ranji Trophy debut as well,” Unmukt said.
“I used to talk a lot to him. I would open with Shikhar and one down was Virat, so I have batted quite a bit with him too,” Unmukt added.
After having led India to a win against Australia at the 2012 U19 World Cup, Unmukt was deemed the next big thing in Indian cricket.
The former Indian cricketer made his List A debut against Jammu and Kashmir in February 2010. Dhawan and Unmukt opened the innings, while skipper Kohli batted at three. Delhi won the match by six wickets, riding on Dhawan, Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia’s half-centuries.
Unmukt scored 25 while Kohli managed just 16.
Unmukt was last seen in action in July, playing for the Vegas Vikings in the Max60 Caribbean tournament. He scored 93 runs in seven matches in the tournament, at an average of 23.25.
