When Virat Kohli surprised coach Rajkumar Sharma with Teacher's Day gift

In today’s fast pacing age where lives are constantly getting busier day by day, it is really tough to remember someone who has really been an immense support and inspiration. So who else can be such an idol than a ‘guru’?  

How many protégés remember their gurus?  This guru-protégé relationship in cricket may not be as celebrated as Ramakant Achrekar - Sachin Tendulkar but Virat Kohli does believe in fulfilling his commitments even off the field in style. So when his coach and guru Rajkumar Sharma woke up on Teacher’s Day of 2014, a knock on the door brought him a bunch of keys and a flood of fond memories.

Virat Kohli had just gifted an imported sedan car to his mentor and cricket guru Rajkumar Sharma which showcased how much respect he has in his heart for his coach.

It is a well-known fact that Rajkumar Sharma's role in Virat Kohli's growth from a gifted talent to a successful international cricketer has been huge.

Such revelations have been made in a new book on Virat Kohli- ‘Driven’ authored by sports journalist Vijay Lokapally.

One such exert in the book menions Rajkumar saying, “I answered the bell and found Vikas (Kohli's elder brother) at the door.”

“His brother's arrival at his house so early in the day was cause for concern. Vikas stepped into the house, dialed a number and handed his cell phone to Raj Kumar. 'Happy teacher's Day Sir,' said Virat, even as Vikas thrust something into Rajkumar's palms - a bunch of keys.”

"Rajkumar stood puzzled as Vikas requested him to step out of his house. A shining Skoda Rapid was parked at the gate - a gift from Virat to his mentor."

On which Rajkumar says, "It was not merely because he had gifted me the car. It was because of his emotional touch to the process of reminding me how much he treasured our association, and valued the role of a teacher in his life."

If this was an emotional incident, there was a funny one too. Virat may feel 'what's there in a name' but there are others who may think otherwise.

Yuvraj Singh in his book 'Test of My Life' wrote that he thought that Virat Kohli's must have got his now famous nickname 'Chikoo' from the famous comic series 'Champak' which had a character by the same name.

But a new book written on the Indian Test captain reveals the 'secret' behind Kohli getting such a 'fruity nickname'.

The author writes: “The Delhi team was playing Ranji Trophy match in Mumbai. Virat has not even played a total of 10 first-class matches. He was a part of set-up that included players he had looked up to -- (Virender) Sehwag, (Gautam) Gambhir, (Rajat) Bhatia and (Mithun) Manhas. He was more than happy to be sharing dressing room with them.

"One evening, he returned to the hotel with his hair nicely cropped. He has spotted a fancy hair salon close by and given himself a new look. 'How is it?' he asked excitedly as he ran into a couple of younger colleagues. 'Not bad, you look like a Chikoo (Sapodilla)," joked Ajit Chowdhary, the assistant coach looking from a distance.

"The name struck ‘Chikoo’ and Virat didn't mind it all. “He was still trying to find his feet in the big world of domestic cricket circuit. He liked it when he got attention. I have not known a more competitive youngster. He was just hungry for more - runs and attention," said Chowdhary, the only person other than Coach Rajkumar Sharma to adjure Virat."