Back in 2008, when the Indian team reached Malaysia for the Under-19 World Cup, there were two ‘Kohlis’ in the team. One was the captain – Virat Kohli – and the other was Taruvar Kohli, the opener. Both players with the same surname scored over 200 runs in the tournament and were among the top five scorers in the tournament. But only one of them could go ahead and share the dressing room with the senior players.
In two ‘Kohli’, Virat later became the superstar of Indian cricket. Not only did he become India’s most successful Test captain, but he also set many batting records in the past decade. While Taruvar is one of those cricketers of the 2008 Under-19 World Cup batch who never got India’s call-up.
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Taruvar is a well-known name in the domestic circuit; With over 3800 runs in first-class cricket and over 1600 runs in List A matches. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he scored double centuries – 151 and 101 not out against Bihar followed by an unbeaten 151 against Nagaland.
In a conversation with a YouTube channel, Taruvar talked about the reason why his career never took off despite scoring two triple centuries for two different sides in domestic cricket.
“I have scored two triple centuries – one for Punjab and one for Mizoram – but since there was no social media behind them, they were not glorified and the stats were hidden. But cricket has changed a lot. When we were playing the World Cup (U-19 in 2008), we used to play a few more dot balls. But today it has changed that even if you play three dot balls, the management also doubts you,” Kohli told SportsYaari.
“At that time, cricket was not that fast. 300 was not mango. In fact, 230 was considered a good score. With the advent of IPL, the game picked up pace. The players who have come forward are attacking that there is no other option. The game has changed and we have all evolved.”
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Taruvar further said that he is often compared to Virat Kohli as they both played together and represented India at the youth level. But he has set his own goals and also wants Virat to end his century drought soon.
“We are all falling out of the individual race. The comparison will always be there because I was Virat’s teammate. But I am used to where I look in the mirror and not compare myself to others. The way Virat plays his game. To the next level, the credit goes to him. I wish he scores more runs and ends the wait for his century which people want to see so badly.”
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