'Virat Kohli gave me deadliest of smirks': USA cricketer Milind Kumar recalls RCB incident ahead of India clash

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The India vs USA contest of the T20 World Cup 2024 will be unique as several players from the United States team would be playing against players who were once part of their dressing rooms in India.

USA captain Milind Kumar has played alongside Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah for Gujarat at junior level. Left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar played 2010 U-19 World Cup for India, and also shared the Mumbai Ranji Trophy dressing room with Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.

There is also Harmeet Singh, who has played for Mumbai, India B, Rest of India, West Zone. He has played alongside Rohot Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer for Mumbai, and with Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar and Umesh Yadav for India B in his debut List A match for India B back in 2012.

Then there is Milind Kumar, a former first-class player for Delhi, who also shared the dressing room with Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Ahead of his side USA's match against India, he has recalled an incident when he got voted as the best footballer at RCB only to get the "most deadliest of smirks” from Virat Kohli.

"He absolutely hates losing. In the 2018 season at RCB I was voted as the best footballer in the team ahead of him. He gave me the most deadliest of smirks with an undertone of I'll see you in the field tomorrow! (laughs). But that is the best thing about him, the intensity with which he would compete in any field," Milind Kumar was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Milind Kumar batted at number three in his debut first-class match for Delhi and scored a hundred in the first innings against Haryana. The Delhi lineup in the match consisted of players like Unmukt Chand and Shikhar Dhawan. Pacer Harshal Patel and star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal played for Haryana in the match.