Virat Kohli’s 10,000 took priority over India B vs India C. (Source: PTI)

The Ferozshah Kotla on Wednesday was unlike most days. On the turf, India’s fringe players were locked in an intense Deodhar Trophy game but the sparse crowd was distracted. They constantly checked their smart phone to follow the India-West Indies game in Vizag. The kid who they had watched take baby steps at this very venue was about to take a giant leap. There was anticipation in the air and that had nothing to do with the action the 22 yards.

At Kotla, Virat Kohli’s 10,000 took priority over India B vs India C. This was the venue where the Virat legend was born. This was where his fariytale got written and re-written.

It was a day to recall old Virat stories and take a lazy afternoon stroll down the memory lane. Everyone who’d watched him since early childhood knew he was destined for greatness. One among them involves KK Tiwari, the scorer who was been around this ground for over 25 years. Tiwari has played an important role in Virat getting his first headline. It all started in the winter of 2004 with an U-17 match between Delhi and Himachal.

“I was the scorer for an U-17 match between Delhi and Himachal in Una. I remember in that match, Delhi needed more than 500 runs to win on the final day. Match phasa hua tha.Then, out of the blue, this boy comes out and scores an unbeaten 250 to win the match. At no point did he look like getting out,” he reminisces.

Days after that heist, Virat, with coach Sharma and elder brother Vikas in tow, meet Tiwari with a request. “Bacche ka thoda publicity karwa do.” Tiwari, who used to carry scoresheets of local and junior games to newspaper offices, knew a thing or two about media. “I thought, if I take my hand-written U-17 score-sheet to a reporter, he will not believe my story. So after some deliberation, I asked Virat to come with me to the newspaper offices.”

The story goes that when a reporter doubted Tiwari’s claims about Virat’s potential, he said, “Agar yeh ladka aage jaake India nahi khelega to mera naam K.K. Tiwari nahi hain.” As Virat went about amassing runs across various age-groups, Tiwari, in jest, asked his brother Vikas, “Mujhe iska PR manager bana do. Yeh India khelega.” His words were prophetic, as little more than three years later, Virat made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka.

There are several such tales that chronicle Virat’s greatness. Like, how despite learning about his father’s demise, he batted with great poise in a Ranji game against Karnataka. Sarvpreet Singh, DDCA’s sports officer, and someone who has spent most of his childhood playing with Virat at the same academy in west Delhi, goes on to narrate another tale that gives heft to Virat’s growing legend. “We (Rohtak Road club) were playing a DDCA league game against Pahari Dhiraj 14 years ago. They were a champion team having a 17-year-old Ishant Sharma, who was bowling really quick. It was peak winter season, and the pitch had movement, coupled with uneven bounce. It was absolute terror for batsmen,” Sarvpreet notes.

To make things worse, Rohtak Road Club’s opener got retired hurt early on after getting smacked on his nose by Ishant’s rising delivery. Virat, who was padded up, walked out to bat and made an instant impact. He looked under no strife whatsoever, and played those delectable pulls and his trademark cover drives. “He was the only batsman from both teams to score a 50. It was truly sensational batting…he has not looked back ever since,” he adds. Despite Virat’s dreamy run in international cricket, Tiwari says he is still remains humble and down-to-earth. “He still made it a point to come a meet me when India were playing Sri Lanka in a Test match here last year. What more can I expect from him?” Sarvpreet terms his childhood friend as a furiously determined individual, driven by a pig-headed devotion to improve all facets of his game. “He is a class above. Always working hard, and looking at ways to improve his game and his deficiencies. That’s what makes him tick.”

Tiwari has the final word: “He always stood out in a crowd of players.” On Wednesday, Kotla had 10,000 reasons to have a ‘I told you’ expression.