Former India cricket team coach Abhishek Nayar heaped praise on Virat Kohli‘s mentality and claimed that it was his belief system that made him a superior and consistent performer. His remarks come ahead of the ENG vs IND 2nd ODI where the former Indian captain is expected to fire after failing to perform in the 1st ODI. Nayar narrated an incident from the series against Australia last year, explaining how Kohli had his own ways of tackling issues and never compromised on his beliefs.
When Kohli turned down Nayar’s offer for help
Speaking on JioStar’s Googlies, Nayar recalled that he had approached Kohli in Australia after he registered two ducks in the ODI series and asked him if he could point out an observation. The ex-India captain promptly turned down the offer and said that he would do it his way. And he did just that. After being dismissed for two consecutive ducks in the AUS vs IND 1st and 2nd ODI, Kohli responded with an unbeaten 74-run knock off 81 deliveries in the 3rd ODI. He then went on to score two back-to-back hundreds followed by a half-century against South Africa at home to sign off 2025 on a high note.
“When Virat was struggling in Australia and had those two ducks in the ODI series, I’d just come out of the Indian team, so we were still in touch. I asked him if everything was okay and whether there was anything he wanted to talk about. He simply said, ‘No, all good. It’s part of the game.’ I then said, ‘I have an observation. Do you want to hear it?’ He smiled and replied, ‘No, I’ll do it my way.’ I laughed. After the next game, I got the answer, ‘I did it my way.’ For me, that is the hallmark of Virat Kohli,” Nayar said.
Virat Kohli returned to action for the first time since the conclusion of the IPL 2026 in the ENG vs IND 1st ODI. He had missed the series against Afghanistan due to an injury. However, Kohli could only manage to score 5 runs in the game, and lasted for 4 minutes before he was trapped for an LBW by Jofra Archer.
The former Indian captain will be hoping to fare better in the ENG vs IND 2nd ODI in Cardiff. He needs 4 runs to overtake Rahul Dravid to become the Indian batter with most runs scored on English soil (all formats).
Cricket
Sanju Samson snubbed against Gautam Gambhir's wishes, no rift between head coach, Agarkar
