A lot has been spoken about the mentality of Virat Kohli and how it is that it helped set him apart from other cricket players around the world. And the latest person to weigh in on this debate is former India batsman Suresh Raina.
Raina and Kohli have been teammates for India and while Raina was the senior pro during Kohli’s early years, the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman revealed some interesting insights into the self-confidence Kohli had and how it set him apart from other players.
Speaking to Aakash Chopra on JioCinema, Raina said that two things set Kohli apart even as a youngster – his self-belief as well as his discipline and adherence to training.
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Raina revealed that Kohli worked harder than any other youngster he had seen at that point, but what really stunned him was the kind of self-belief he possessed.
Raina added that there were many occasions wherein Kohli would say “I need to score a 100 tomorrow’ and then would simply go out and do it, much to the amazement of the team.
In fact, Raina said that it did not matter who the opposition was at that time – it could be Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Australia or whoever – the approach remained the same.
Kohli’s approach was not always a popular one, as Raina said that sometimes others felt his confidence bordered on arrogance. But there is no denying the fact that it worked.
And Raina said that was something that left many in awe – the fact that he would say he’ll do something, then go out there and do it.
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Interestingly, the camaraderie between the two former teammates remains to this day. When Raina announced that he was opening a restaurant, Kohli was one of many to congratulate him.
The former India captain also added that he would pay a visit to the restaurant as soon as he had a chance, which won the hearts of many fans.
It’s worth noting that Kohli himself owns a restaurant chain, and so the show of support went down doubly well with people.
Raina also caught the attention of many by going on to post a sweet comment on Kohli’s latest Instagram post, which featured the cricketer and wife Anushka Sharma heading out to lunch in London.
Kohli and the Indian team will next be seen in action during the away series in West Indies.
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