Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has identified Virat Kohli's unshakeable faith in his own process as the core reason behind the batting great's enduring success at the highest level. Nayar recalled a telling exchange with the former India captain during a lean patch on tour in Australia, which he says crystallised his understanding of what separates elite performers from the rest.

The Australia Slump That Revealed Everything

Kohli had endured a difficult ODI series in Australia, registering two ducks in quick succession. Nayar, who had recently stepped away from the Indian team's support staff, was still in regular contact with the batter and reached out to check on him during the rough stretch.

'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,’' Nayar said in an interview with JioStar.

Kohli Declines Technical Input — Then Delivers

Nayar, wanting to share a technical observation, sought Kohli's permission before offering his thoughts. The response, he says, was vintage Kohli — polite, confident, and entirely self-directed.

'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 revealed.

The anecdote underscores a quality that coaches and teammates have long associated with Kohli — a refusal to second-guess himself under external pressure, even when scores are not reflecting his ability.

What Nayar Believes Sets the Greats Apart

For Nayar, the episode is more than a good story — it is a window into the psychology of sustained excellence. He argued that champions lean on accumulated experience and an unbreakable belief in their method precisely when results are hardest to come by.

'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 stated.

Nayar noted that interactions such as this one have deepened his admiration for both Kohli and Rohit Sharma, whom he regards as two of India's defining batting icons of the modern era.

The Broader Significance

'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.

This comes at a time when conversations around Kohli's form and longevity remain a fixture of Indian cricket discourse. Nayar's account adds a rare behind-the-scenes perspective to that debate — one that points not to technique, but to temperament, as the decisive variable. How Kohli manages the next chapter of his career will continue to be watched closely by fans and analysts alike.