A decade later Pieter Malan still remembers and talks about his most famous wicket that of Virat Kohli

He was the captain of the India junior team and he is the captain of the Indian cricket team in the last 10 years Virat Kohli has come a long way from leading his side in the U19 World Cup to be leading them in all three formats of the game. South Africa’s Pieter Malan can never forget the moment he got the prized wicket of Kohli in the World Cup that was played in Kuala Lumpur.

To date, he makes it a point to tell people around him that he got Virat out in the final of the 2008 junior World Cup. Kohli who was in great form in the tournament hit the medium pacer for a six but Malan was smart enough to mix it up and got the better of the Indian with change in pace. The Indian skipper hit the ball towards point and was caught on 19. Kohli wouldn’t remember it as his team won the match and he lifted the trophy later in the day.

Foxed Kohli with a slower one

“Kohli hit me over cover for a six at the start of my spell. Then I took a bit of pace off, and he got out at point to a really good catch (by Sybrand Engelbrecht),” Malan was quoted as saying by sportstarlive. “I tell everybody that I once got Kohli out. Everybody who knows me knows that I got him out in 2008,” he added.

Kohli was just 19 then but if the South African is to be believed it was pretty evident even then that this boy was a special talent. Malan recounts the way he dealt with the spinners it made them realize he was not an ordinary cricketer.

“Even back then, I had never seen anyone play spin as well as Kohli did. He hit bowlers effortlessly, wherever he wanted to. We knew there was something special in him,” he said.

As far as his career is concerned the 28-year-old has played 128 FC games but is yet to represent the national team but is a part of the South Africa A squad that is in India for the ‘A’ team tour.

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