Virat Kohli’s recent form in both Indian cricket and the IPL has silenced the chatter and criticism that surrounded his performance during a difficult stretch between 2020 and mid-2022. During that time, he struggled to reach the three-figure threshold across formats, leading to discussions about the end of his hegemony and criticism of his position in the Indian squad.
Despite recovering in top-notch style, Kohli had previously mentioned that only MS Dhoni had reached out to him during this rough patch. However, on Monday, Kohli revealed that Robin Uthappa had also contacted him during that testing period.
During an interview with JioCinema, the official digital broadcasters of IPL 2023, before RCB’s match against CSK on April 17th, Kohli mentioned that Uthappa had been in touch with him, in addition to Dhoni.
Kohli had hoped that stepping down from the captaincy role would relieve the pressure and improve his form, but that did not happen until the Asia Cup in 2022.
Kohli said:
“Because I was not in a space where I was comfortable with myself. I was looking for all kinds of excuses that it must be happening because of this and that or technical changes. But you were in touch with me at that point of time and, beyond a point, I figured out people cannot feel what I am feeling. You sensed something with my body language and asked ‘Are you okay? Just wanted to check in on you.’ That happened very rarely.”
When you are not right mentally, you are all over the place: Kohli
Virat Kohli acknowledged Robin Uthappa’s support during his difficult phase. He said it was significant as others were suggesting solutions without realizing the real issue was mental. Kohli emphasized that he was not experiencing technical issues, having played cricket for 15 years, but rather mental blocks. He shared that during his recent conversation with Uthappa. He disclosed that MS Dhoni, who rarely uses his phone, was the only one to reach out to him.
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