New Delhi: Team India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Virat Kohli on Tuesday inaugurated a new branch of childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma’s cricket academy in New Delhi. Kohli inaugurated a branch of the West Delhi Cricket Academy, run by Sharma at the Delhi Public School in RK Puram. Sharma was present at the event alongside his ward.
Kohli headed to RK Puram to inaugurate the cricket academy after RCB defeated Delhi Capitals by 9 wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi in the IPL 2026 on Monday. Kohli addressed the students at the academy and advised them to follow their dreams while respecting their teachers and coaches.
Rohan Jaitley, the president of the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA), was also present at the inauguration ceremony. Kohli, one of the best batters in the world at present, started his journey as a young cricketer under coach Sharma at the West Delhi Cricket Academy. He remains the most successful cricketer to have graduated from the now-famed academy.
#WATCH | Delhi: Cricket star Virat Kohli inaugurated a branch of West Delhi Cricket Academy at DPS RK Puram. His childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma was also with him. pic.twitter.com/gQumDN5om8
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2026
Virat Kohli inspires kids with life lessons
Kohli spoke to the kids during the inauguration ceremony and shared life lessons with them. The Indian cricket stalwart urged the children to be honest with their dreams and remain committed to them. Though he admitted he was not used to addressing school gatherings, Kohli shared lessons from his own cricketing journey to inspire the students.
“Thank you for having me. I’m not used to speaking in schools, so this is going to be a bit awkward for me because I moved away from the school setup long ago for cricket, and that’s what I’m going to talk about. I understand the environment of a school. I’ve been through the same process and stage that all you kids are a part of right now. And I can just share from my own experience how my focus and priority changed very early on in my life,” Kohli said at the event, as quoted by ANI.
“What I want to say is, a school is a place where you come to learn, you come to grow, you become better people,” he added.