One may wonder why Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli he being nicknamed ‘chiku’ — is it because his love for the fruit, or because he once looked like one, or what?
The captain, himself, reveals: “I got this nickname from a coach in the Ranji Trophy. I used to have big cheeks then. In 2007, I thought I was losing hair. I got my hair cropped and my cheeks and ears stood out. I got the name from a cartoon character. The rabbit in the comic book Champak.”
And the rest remains history. While the nickname was coined back in 2007, it was popularised by none other than former skipper MS Dhoni.
“MS (Dhoni) has sort of made my nickname famous from behind the stumps. In the stumps’ mic, people pick up,” Kohli told Pietersen in a candid Instagram video chat on Thursday.
Pietersen had also shared a picture of Kohli’s younger days at the RCB camp and the skipper was quick to take the trip down the memory lane.
The 31-year-old laughed and said: “I don’t recognise him anymore. We did have a lot of fun then. 2009 and 2010 you (Pietersen) were with us and we really hit off from day 1. And we had a gun team with Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis.”
Notably, this year’s IPL has been indefinitely delayed in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic that has put all sporting events at standstill.