Punjab Kings Star Left Surprised After Virat Kohli "Remembered His Name", Shares Emotional Meeting

It was a surreal feeling for Nehal Wadhera when he found out that Virat Kohli knew him by his first name. And then the proverbial ice-breaker was a short interaction where the Punjab youngster got direct feedback on his game from the legend which made his day. Wadhera, who smashed a match-winning 33 not out against RCB in Punjab Kings' rain-curtailed five-wicket victory, said he was stunned when Kohli recognised him before the game.

"I was actually really shocked when before the match Virat bhai was standing out and talking to Shreyas Iyer, and asked in Punjabi 'ki haal chaal, Nehal' (how are you doing Nehal?)'" Wadhera recalled his 'Red Letter Day' with utmost fondness.

"I wasn't really expecting that he would remember my name. That made me really happy." That moment, Wadhera said, opened the door for a quick conversation he had long waited for a.

"Till last year, I used to tell a player -- either it was Tilak (Varma) or Surya bhai (Suryakumar Yadav) -- that I wanted to talk to Virat bhai once,” said the former Mumbai Indians batter.

"That was the actual ice-breaker where I got to know that yes, Virat bhai knows my name, and I could actually go up to him and have a conversation.” Following the game, Wadhera seized the moment to seek feedback from Kohli as he was later seen taking a photo "As soon as the match finished, I went up to him and asked, 'Virat bhai, you have seen me for the last two years and this year -- what do you think?'" Kohli's praise -- especially for Wadhera's shot selection, composure and match awareness -- left a lasting impression.

"It was really good talking to him and I enjoyed it a lot," the 24-year-old added. "His words reinforced my belief and helped me understand how to approach the game