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Xtra Time Web Desk: Team India batting maestro Virat Kohli is widely recognized for his extraordinary skills on the cricket pitch and has become a household name in India. In addition to his given name, the Delhi-born cricketer’s nickname ‘Cheeku’ has also gained immense popularity among cricket enthusiasts.

It is worth mentioning that former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni playful banter behind the stumps played a major part in Virat’s pet name ‘cheeku’ reaching the masses as the wicketkeeper-batter used to address him with his nickname during matches and brought it to the forefront of cricketing conversations.

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Although it was believed that this endearing moniker was bestowed upon Virat by Dhoni, the 35-year-old has now cleared the air in a recent revelation where he shared the actual origin of his famous nickname.

 The origin of Virat Kohli’s nickname ‘Cheeku’

The truth behind the ‘Cheeku’ pet name of Virat was revealed during his recent interaction. Where the right-handed batter disclosed that it was not the genius of Dhoni but his state coach who first coined the term.

Virat recounted that it was during his early playing days when he sported short hair, chubby cheeks, and large ears that his coach drew a humorous comparison of him to a comic book character named ‘Cheeku,’ a rabbit from the iconic Indian children’s magazine ‘Champak.’

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“My nickname is Cheeku. My state coach gave me that name as my ears are big and I cut my hair very short at that time. There was a comic named ‘Champak’, in which there was a rabbit character named ‘Cheeku’ who had big ears so he started calling me by that name. It became famous because Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) started taking that name close to the stump mic,” recounted Virat.