Virat Kohli knows exactly how it feels to be on top of the world when one has barely attained the age to own a driving license.
He also knows how it feels when criticism flies thick and fast when one doesn't perform as per potential after a global trophy.
And no one knows more than Kohli how it feels to be a world beater at a level where it matters the most.
When members of the Under-19 World Cup connected on a Zoom call from their respective hotel rooms in Antigua, they had none other than Kohli himself waiting to congratulate them and tell them what it means to play an Under-19 World Cup final.
Led by Yash Dhull, India will take on England in the Under-19 final on Saturday. It will be India’s fourth successive final since 2016.
And Kohli knows a thing or two about winning high pressure final at the junior level when he captained the side to beat South Africa on a balmy evening in Kuala Lumpur in 2008.
Fourteen summers since, Kohli is now a former leader and a veteran of the senior team with more than 20k international runs to his credit.
And the 33-year-old Kohli was requested to share some nuggets of knowledge with the Indian Colts, as few can reveal what it takes to make the grade.
"It was really good to interact with you Virat Kohli bhaiyya. Learnt some important things about life and cricket from you which will help us in getting better in upcoming times," wrote the team's premier pace-bowling all-rounder Rajvardhan Hangargekar on his Instagram stories.
"Some valuable tips from the GOAT before the final," wrote spinner Kaushal Tambe.
Their head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar was also present at the online meet.
Kohli knows what the perils of early stardom are and how one can get their feet back to the ground. He has seen zenith and nadir, and one can only hope this discussion will make these youngsters more rounded as sportsmen than they were before.
