Virat Kohli expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards Rahul Dravid and former India head coach Vikram Rathour for his revival post his tenure as the Indian team’s captain, which ended in controversial fashion. Dravid took charge as the head coach of the Indian team just after he stepped down as India’s T20I captain and was removed as the ODI skipper, while he resigned as the Test captain a couple of months later.
At the time, Kohli was going through a rough phase with the bat as he did not score an international century for nearly three years. The 37-year-old stated that Dravid and Rathour were empathetic to his situation and put him in a good mental space, which made him work hard to perform.
“I’ve said this many times about Rahul bhai and Vikram Rathore. I had a great phase in Test cricket, and whenever I meet them, I thank them from the bottom of my heart because they took care of me in a way that made me feel like I wanted to play for them. I wanted to perform, grind it out, and do the hard work because they were so caring and nurturing. They reminded me of everything I had done so far – something you never really sit down and think about as a player,” Kohli was quoted saying by Cricbuzz during the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit in Bengaluru on Tuesday (May 19).
Kohli revealed that players suffer from imposter syndrome, and Dravid and Rathour were able to understand his plight. He stated that the duo put him in a space where he could enjoy his cricket again.
“As players, you’re always walking a very thin line between being cautious and being insecure. You constantly feel like you’re never good enough – that imposter syndrome is always there. Even today, when I go into the nets, I still think: these youngsters are watching. If I have a bad session, they’ll probably wonder, ‘Is this the guy who’s been playing for 20 years?’ That thought is always there,” Kohli stated.
“Rahul bhai understood that because he had experienced it himself at the highest level. Vikram had been around for years too. They understood what I was feeling and genuinely took care of me mentally. That put me in a space where I could enjoy my cricket again,” the former Indian captain added.
Virat Kohli Explains Mental Toll On Leadership
Kohli further talked about the toll being India’s captain for a long period took on him mentally. He stated that captaincy puts you in a space where you cannot worry about yourself. However, he claimed he would not do anything different.
“To do that, you constantly have to be in a space where you’re not focused on yourself. You don’t even think about whether someone is going to ask you, ‘Are you okay?’ That thought doesn’t even cross your mind. I did look back and realise that no one had really asked me that question for almost nine years – ‘How are you doing?’ When I was in the thick of things, I never really felt like I needed someone to ask me how I was doing. I was okay managing everything. And honestly, I’d do it the same way all over again,” Kohli concluded.