- Virat Kohli admitted battling impostor syndrome during his career.
- Kohli credited Rahul Dravid for emotional support.
- Former India captain felt exhausted after handling multi-format captaincy responsibilities.
Even at the height of his career, former India captain Virat Kohli said that he struggled with “impostor syndrome.”
He credited former India head coach Rahul Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour for helping him psychologically heal after the emotional strain of captaincy left him exhausted.
Speaking on Tuesday at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit Powered by Leaders in Bengaluru, Kohli claimed that Dravid and Rathour “genuinely took care” of him during a challenging post-captaincy phase, enabling him to rediscover the joy of playing cricket after years of bearing the demands of leadership across formats.
Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which people, despite their success and accomplishments, continue to question their skills and dread being shown as inadequate. Kohli said that such fears persist after playing at the top level for over 20 years.
“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,” Kohli said.
“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.”
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Virat Kohli reveals how Rahul Dravid helped him overcome toughest phase of career
According to Kohli, Dravid has a deeper understanding of such feelings than most people because of his personal experiences as an international cricket player. Kohli claims that at one of the most difficult times in his career, both Dravid and Rathour provided him with mental support.
“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,” Kohli said.
Between 2020 and 2022, the former captain of India experienced a remarkable dip in Test cricket, failing to score a century in the format for three calendar years. Kohli’s tenure as captain ended during the lean time; he resigned as T20I captain and then left Test captaincy in early 2022 after losing the ODI leadership position as well.
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Virat Kohli speaks on reviving passion for cricket
Kohli claimed that Dravid and Rathour’s atmosphere inspired him to restart his desire for performance and hard effort.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
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