New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) The Ranji Trophy Group D match between Delhi and Railways was all about the Virat Kohli mania sweeping the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Kohli’s enduring charisma was evident in his first Ranji Trophy game in 12 years, where over 20,000 fans attended to see their local lad, aka ‘King Kohli’ in action.

Kohli’s impressive stadium reception left a lasting impression on Balachandra Akhil, a former pace-bowling all-rounder for Karnataka and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Even with all the accolades bestowed upon Kohli, Akhil, the match referee for the Delhi-Railways match, observed that the veteran’s personality hasn’t changed a bit.

“If you look at his career, he has been a star and he has always served the country so well that his fan following in this game says it all. The kind of achievements he has, the number of runs he has scored, and the number of matches he has won for the country, I don’t think anybody from this generation can even compete with him in that regard. For the younger generations, he is the biggest role model for them.”

“In fact, when you see the crowd in the stands in the last two days, 90% of them were youngsters. So, it shows what kind of a role model he is for them. The energy he brings in is very contagious. In fact, even I was feeling goosebumps when I met him after so many years.”

“This game was a very good opportunity for me to also meet him in a different role, of course. But then, the equation is still the same. I mean, he is just the same Virat I saw in the IPL in 2008 and 2009. He has never changed as a person, despite his achievements being far big,” said Akhil in an exclusive conversation with IANS on the sidelines of the match which Delhi won by an innings and 19 runs.

Besides playing alongside Kohli during the 2008 and 2009 IPL seasons, Akhil recalled a first-class match he played for Karnataka against Delhi in 2006 when the venue was called Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.

That first-class game turned out to be a poignant moment in Kohli’s cricketing career. Kohli walked onto the field to continue his innings for Delhi against a powerful Karnataka team just hours after his father, Prem, passed away, demonstrating his unwavering dedication to his team after suffering an irreparable personal loss. “In fact, I still remember I had already taken a couple of wickets by then. Virat was then a young guy in 2006 – I think he was 17. The way he was batting, we were like, ‘Arey yaar, yeh kaun hai? (Hey, who is this guy?). We felt that as he was young and was absorbing so much pressure.

“Karnataka was a very formidable side at that time and we were at our peak. But he started playing so well that we were starting to get a little worried also. From inside, we were like, “If this partnership (of Kohli with Punit Bisht) goes big, it will be difficult for us.’”

“In the evening, when we found out that his father was no more, we were like, ‘That is a very bad thing to happen to any player in the middle of a game’. Also, we began to think that he would never really come back to bat (as Virat was 40 not out).”

“Though we were feeling a little bad for him, we were thinking, ‘When he won’t come to bat, it means they are already one wicket down’. That thought was there so as if you see from our perspective, we were happy that he would not come out to bat,” recalled Akhil.

But the sight of a young, padded-up Kohli entering the field at 9.25 am surprised Akhil and the Karnataka team. “If I was going through that phase, I couldn’t have done it. That moment showed how much he respected the game, and how much he respected his father’s wish that he wanted him to play cricket for the team and later for the country, which was amazing of him,” he added.

Kohli would go on to make 90, before being adjudged caught behind off Akhil, with the on-field umpire’s decision being poor as his bat had not touched the ball. “Taking of getting him out, I am not very proud of getting him out at 90 because it was not out, and I can openly say that.”

“I appealed when it was a fuller length delivery outside the off stump and he hit the ground. At that time, the ball passed the bat, and we had to get that wicket. So, I just ran. I didn’t even look at the umpire. I just ran and we all shouted so much that the umpire came under pressure.”

“Now, there is DRS and one can still revoke any decision. But it was not there then, and that time, the umpire gave him out. That was a big sigh of relief for us, actually. Otherwise, it would have been a different story. We somehow managed to draw the game,” revealed Akhil.

Presently, although Kohli only scored six runs in his single innings for Delhi, after a lean Test tour of Australia, Akhil expressed optimism that the veteran batter would rediscover his top form in India’s upcoming ODI matches against England and the Champions Trophy. “I think he is too good a player. Such things happen to the best of players. Even Sachin also went through a bad phase. So, I don’t think one or two bad games will really affect his mindset. He is as positive as ever. I think he will do very well in the Champions Trophy. I have no doubt about it, as he is the best we have got.”

Akhil’s post-cricket life has been rewarding. Besides refereeing matches for the BCCI, he’s a familiar voice in Kannada cricket commentary. He signed off by reflecting on the transformation of his life - from taking Kohli’s wicket in Delhi during the 2006 Ranji Trophy game etched in cricketing folklore to now being the match referee for Kohli’s comeback game in the prestigious first-class competition at that very location.

“It is going good, as we see the game in a different perspective now. Being a player was different, but being an official has turned out to be totally different, as we are on the other side of the rope now.”

“So, the way we see it is different and now I can understand that it is very difficult to be an official. I mean, we can still play comfortably amongst so many people, but being an official is a bit difficult because there’s a lot of responsibility now.”