India men's cricket team captain Virat Kohli, on his 31 birthday, shared on Twitter a heartwarming letter he wrote to his 15-year-old self, advising him to “tell dad you love him” and to “savour those parathas”.
Kohli, who is currently vacationing in Bhutan with his wife and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma, posted the letter on Twitter saying, “My journey and life's lessons explained to a 15-year old me. Well, I tried my best writing this down. Do give it a read. #NoteToSelf”.
He begins his letter addressing himself as ‘Chiku’ and wishing his 15-year-old self ‘happy birthday’. He goes on to write in his letter that life has big things in store for the young Delhi boy, and to grab opportunities that come his way. He tells young Virat to keep believing in himself, and that one day while he will be loved by many, there will be people who dislike him as well.
He goes on to talk about his late father, Prem Kohli, and asks his 15-year-old self to not be bothered over his dad's refusal to buy a pair of shoes the young boy has had his eye on. Kohli asks him to cherish the hug his father gave him that morning and the joke he cracked over his height.
“I know he can seem strict at times. But that's because he wants the best for you,” the letter says.
“Tell Dad you love him. A lot. Tell him today. Tell him tomorrow. Tell him more often.” His father had died following a stroke Virat Kohli was just 18.
On a lighter note, the Indian skipper advises his younger self to “savour those parathas” as they will be “quite a luxury in the years to come”.
“Finally, just follow your heart, chase your dreams, be kind and show the world how dreaming big makes all the difference. Be you.”
Kohli signs off the letter by saying ‘make every day super’.
The 31-year-old has been rested from the ongoing T20 series against Bangladesh. He will be back when India take on Bangladesh in the two-match Test series, which will begin on November 14.
India lost the first T20 match against Bangladesh in Delhi as Mushfiqur Rahim led the visitors to a historic win.
The second T20I is scheduled to be played on November 7 at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.