India’s batting maestro, Virat Kohli, is renowned for his exceptional cricketing prowess and has earned a place in the hearts of fans across the nation. Alongside his given name, the Delhi-born cricketer’s affectionate nickname ‘Cheeku’ has become immensely popular among cricket enthusiasts. However, the belief that former India captain MS Dhoni coined this endearing moniker has now been dispelled by the 34-year-old, who recently revealed the true origin of his famous nickname.

In a candid conversation with Star Sports, Virat Kohli disclosed that it was not the genius of Dhoni but rather his state coach who first bestowed the name upon him. During his early playing days, Virat, sporting short hair, chubby cheeks, and large ears, drew a humorous comparison from his coach to a comic book character named ‘Cheeku.’ This character was a rabbit from the iconic Indian children’s magazine ‘Champak.’

“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.