Virat Kohli, Rajkumar Sharma

NEW DELHI: Star India batter Virat Kohli on Tuesday inaugurated a cricket academy run by his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma. Kohli inaugurated a branch of the West Delhi Cricket Academy at DPS RK Puram in New Delhi. Rajkumar Sharma was present at the event.Kohli also spoke to students during the inauguration, asking them to respect their learning space and stay focused on their goals.“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.He said schools are meant for learning and personal development. “What I want to say is, a school is a place where you come to learn, you come to grow, you become better people,” Kohli said.“Have respect and regard for that environment first. For your teachers, for the people who are teaching you. They are giving you a part of their lives. It’s very important to give them that respect and the focus and attention that’s required,” Kohli added.“I chose sport very early on in my life, but that came from a very honest place. I was very sure that I wanted to go ahead and pursue cricket, and I had to be honest with myself, my family, and also my teachers to convey to them that this is the path I want to take,” he said.Kohli also advised students to be clear about their goals.“Be honest with your dreams, about what you want to do and follow that dream with absolute commitment. Only you will know whether you are being 100% honest or not.”He said he started training at the academy at the age of eight and still visits when possible.“I started practising when I was eight years old, and I still continue to come to the academy whenever I get time. And it’s a big part of my childhood, and I hope all the kids that come to learn cricket here can value it, can learn something from the academy. And I hope it does wonders for the school, the cricket setup here as well. So, I wish everyone all the very best,” he said.