"His seriousness increased even more" - Former teammate's massive statement on Virat Kohli post Asia Cup 2025

Former India batter Shikhar Dhawan has revealed how Virat Kohli became more serious about the game following the passing of his father. Kohli lost his father on December 18, 2006, while he was representing Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka at Arun Jaitley Stadium. At the time, Kohli was 40 not out overnight. He went home, returned to the field the next day, and played a brilliant 90-run innings, with the match eventually ending in a draw.

Dhawan recently appeared on Raj Shamani’s YouTube podcast, released on Tuesday, September 30, where he discussed Virat Kohli’s mindset, discipline, and how the loss of his father helped him focus more on cricket. Dhawan said:

“Then there is Virat, with his mindset and discipline. The discipline that Virat adopted helped him elevate himself very quickly. I feel that when I saw him 10-15 years ago, he was already very disciplined and very inspiring. Now I can understand and relate to it more because I have more discipline myself. Then I suddenly remembered that Virat has always been disciplined; he has been like that from the beginning.”

“When Virat was young, around 16-17 years old, he was a bit soft-spoken. When he came and was with me, since I was the senior, he was with me. At that time, he was focused on food and then on the field, he wanted to play and score runs. He had a clear idea of his game and was always hungry for success. I feel that unfortunately, when his father passed away, his zeal was already there, but his seriousness increased even more. Even on the day his father passed away, he came to play a match and scored 95 runs, I remember that match clearly because I was there. After that, he never looked back,” he added.

Virat Kohli was last seen in action during IPL 2025, where he clinched his maiden title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

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“He adopted a similar lifestyle” - Shikhar Dhawan on Virat Kohli looking up to the famous football legend

During the same podcast, Shikhar Dhawan also revealed how Virat Kohli revamped his lifestyle by drawing inspiration from Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo. Dhawan said:

“He has a strong mindset. Whenever you talk with him, even if he gets out early, he thinks about the next century and continues to work on his game. He always had a very clear understanding of his game. Then he worked on his fitness. At first, he was a bit soft, but he removed all the carbs and became very lean. I feel he looked up to Ronaldo a lot and learned from him. He adopted a similar lifestyle and his performance graph rose steadily.”

“His discipline became very strong, with controlled eating, a positive mindset, and very strong fitness. He worked a lot on mobility and power exercises, which helped him greatly. He also used the gym regularly. Adding these routines enhanced him further. I feel, looking back, luck also plays a part, so you must have both talent and discipline,” he added.

Virat Kohli is expected to take part in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, starting on October 19 in Perth.