Whole Country Waiting for Virat Kohli's Return, Says Childhood Coach Rajkumar Sharma

Virat Kohli’s return to international action later this month has already generated excitement among Indian cricket fans, and his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes the anticipation is being felt across the country. Kohli, who now plays only ODI cricket alongside Rohit Sharma, is set to return during India’s three-match ODI series against England beginning on July 14.

'The Whole Country Wants to See Him Back'

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 2026 auction in New Delhi, Rajkumar Sharma said fans are eagerly waiting to watch Kohli back on the field after a prolonged absence from international cricket.

Rajkumar Sharma said, "Definitely people are very excited and everybody is, you know, everyone is excited for Virat and the whole country wants to see him when he will be back and like others I am also waiting for him to be on the field again."

The veteran coach also revealed that he plans to attend the third ODI of the series at Lord’s and expressed confidence in both Kohli and the Indian team.

"I'll join him in Lords for the third match, the third one-day I'll go for that, but yes, I wish and pray that he does well and India does well in all these three matches."

Backing India to Bounce Back Against England

India head into the England assignment after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Ireland in a two-match T20I series under newly appointed captain Shreyas Iyer. However, Rajkumar Sharma believes the team should move on quickly and focus on the challenge ahead.

He said, "I would say that Ireland series should be forgotten like a bad dream and India will do well against England. I am very sure that India will do well against England."

The ODI series against England will also mark an important phase for India as senior players Kohli and Rohit Sharma continue their careers exclusively in the 50-over format.

New Delhi Tigers Pleased With DPL Auction Outcome

Apart from discussing India’s upcoming assignments, Rajkumar Sharma also reflected on the Delhi Premier League T20 auction, where he represented the New Delhi Tigers.

He said the franchise’s priority was to secure Himmat Singh, whom he described as a proven performer and an important figure for the team.

"Himmat is a proven player and we had to go for him. Last year he was the captain of our team New Delhi Tigers. So, we had to go for him and we retained Prince Yadav, so he was in the open marquee. So that was our chase and we were successful in getting him."

According to Sharma, the franchise was largely successful in assembling its preferred squad during the auction.

"Till now it's been quite good, almost all the players we wanted, we have taken them. Everything is not available in the auction; sometimes other teams also bid on it. But overall, if we see, we got 80% to 90% of the players we wanted."

With the England ODI series approaching, attention will now shift to Kohli’s comeback, a return that Sharma believes cricket fans across India are eagerly awaiting.

(With inputs from ANI)