Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has shared that Virat Kohli’s unwavering trust in his own methods is the defining trait behind his sustained success, recalling a conversation with him during a difficult phase in Australia. While talking about Kohli’s mentality, Nayar said his confidence in his process never wavered despite a string of low scores as well.

“I’ve known Virat for a really long time, but one thing I realised in the recent past is that the reason Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli is because of the belief systems he has. No matter what happens, that belief never changes,” Nayar told JioStar. “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.'”

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“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’,” Nayar again shared.

He also believes champions depend on years of experience and an unshakeable faith in their own process, especially when results are not coming. He also added that experiences like these have only deepened his admiration for two of India’s modern-day batting greats as well.

“For me, that is the hallmark of Virat Kohli. The great players know how to do it when the going gets tough. We can analyse, imagine and envision, but they’ve done it repeatedly at the highest level. That’s why my respect for players like Virat and Rohit is so much,” he concluded.