Virat Kohli may not have performed as per expectation in recent months, but if the words of former teammate Suresh Raina are anything to go by, he will still be motivated and hungry to win the Champions Trophy 2025. Having shared the dressing room when India lifted the 2011 World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, Raina gave an insight into the type of character Virat Kohli is. He said that Kohli has a different mindset to anyone else, and is the first to encourage the team when the chips are down.
“His mindset is very different. He is a good teammate to have in a dressing room but he is always on the switch. When he practices, he has a different preparation, when he does fielding, whenever the chips are down, he will be the first person to come and say, let’s fight, let’s do fielding,” Raina said, speaking to Star Sports.
Kohli will be a part of India’s 15-man squad as they aim to win a record third Champions Trophy title.
Raina and Kohli were regarded as two of India’s finest fielders, and Raina attributed that to the North Indian mentality that both have. Raina hails from Uttar Pradesh while Kohli is from Delhi.
“I really enjoyed fielding with him because his passion is different because when he is in the mood for fielding and diving, everyone’s attitude changes,” Raina said.
“Us North Indians, we can’t bear to lose. We don’t know how to lose. We won’t leave till we die. That’s the kind of attitude he has,” Raina added.
Ahead of the Champions Trophy and the three-match ODI series against England, Kohli will be getting up to speed by likely featuring in Delhi’s Ranji Trophy game against Railways.
If he does play, it will be Kohli’s first Ranji Trophy game in over 12 years.
Kohli’s previous Ranji game was in November 12, when Delhi lost to Uttar Pradesh, in a game which also featured the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag in the Delhi side. Incidentally, Raina was the Uttar Pradesh captain in that game.
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