'I was shocked that he even knew my name' - Nehal Wadhera on his conversation with Virat Kohli

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) have some iconic youngsters within their team, which also include the likes of Nehal Wadhera. The talented left-handed batter has impressed in the tournament with some of his big hits and explosive knocks this season.

The 24-year-old has so far scored 189 runs from the seven innings he has featured in at an average of 37.80 and has a strike rate of 146.51 in the tournament as well. Though Wadhera has played with some iconic players in the last two years, it is the conversation he had with Virat Kohli that meant a lot to him. Wadhera mentioned that he talked about how he felt after talking to Virat about his performances, and was also pleased that the legendary batter was open to sharing his experience as well.

“As soon as the match got over, I went up to him and I asked, 'Virat Bhai, you have seen me for the past two years and this year. Do you see any change in me, or where do you think I can improve?' I am a huge fan, and if he tells me anything, I would always start working on it. He told me, 'Nehal, I liked your batting,' and I told him that this was my plan," Wadhera said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

“So, I executed it. He told me that your plan was good to just attack the bowlers because, in low-scoring games, it's always challenging. After that, he told me that 'I could see composure in your batting and the shots you were hitting, had a lot of thought. Then we had a word that yes, I have done this, I have worked like this. So, he was happy to see my preparation, and he was happy to share his experience with me. I was also equally happy taking all his experience and all the compliments he gave, which meant I was pleased hearing that from a legend like Virat Kohli,” he added.

Didn't talk him in detail about the preparation: Nehal

Nehal, through the interview, also revealed that he spoke to his senior players in the Mumbai Indians squad, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, to interact with Virat. He also mentioned at how shocked he was after Virat remembered his name after their first conversation, which was two years ago.

“If you talk about Virat, I didn't talk to him in detail about the preparation. But I did tell him that I had done. Did you find any difference in me in the last 2 years and this year? And he told me that, yes, I can see a lot of composure in your batting. And if he tells me such things, I definitely like it a lot. I was shocked our match wasn't starting. Virat was standing there, and he was talking to Shreyas Iyer," Wadhera said.

“He called me himself. He asked me 'ki haal chaal, Nehal?' I was shocked that he even knew my name. Because I wasn't expecting that he would remember my name. So I think from there, I was delighted. So, I think that opened the door for me to go up to him and ask questions. Last year, I used to tell a player, either Tilak or Surya Bhai, that I wanted to talk to Virat Bhai once. So I think that was the actual icebreaker where I got to know that, yes, Virat knows my name. And I could go up to him and have a conversation with him," the PBKS batter concluded.