New Delhi, Oct. 21 -- Long before the captaincy and global fame, Virat Kohli was one of hundreds of boys lining up at a new cricket academy in West Delhi. Few fans know that he joined on the very day it opened.

On May 30, 1998, former Delhi first-class cricketer Rajkumar Sharma opened the West Delhi Cricket Academy in Paschim Vihar. About 250 boys signed up that day. Among them was a young Virat Kohli, around 9 years old, who came with his father, Prem Kohli, and his elder brother, Vikas.

Notably, Virat Kohli had started playing the game in his housing society at the age of five, and his father drove him to practice every day.

What first caught Rajkumar Sharma's eye was not a cover drive. In an interview with Hindustan Times, the coach...