Here's How Paddy Upton Helped Virat Kohli to Get Out of His Tough Phase and Regain His Mojo

Team India batting maestro Virat Kohli opened up on how conversations with Paddy Upton helped him get out of the tough phase in his professional career. Kohli went through a lean patch with the bat and didn’t score a single century in 2020 and 2021, he managed to end the drought in the Asia Cup 2022 with a ton against Afghanistan. After ending the drought there was no stopping for him as he was the leading run-scorer in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, the two-year rough patch was a tough time for Kohli as he was struggling to convert the fifties into triple-digit scores and some also started questioning his batting credentials.

Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.

Kohli revealed that he had conversations with Upton who worked with the Indian team on a short-term during the 2022 T20 World Cup.

“I had a lot of conversations with him, and I really appreciated him in that moment because he constantly kept me in check with my checkpoints of being present. Keep doing things that you did when you were playing good cricket,” Kohli told Star Sports.

Upton was also India’s mental health and conditioning coach during the 2011 ODI World Cup where MS Dhoni and Co. emerged victorious. Upton’s return to the Indian team helped them in the transitional phase, especially Kohli who was going through a rough patch with the bat.

The 35-year-old revealed that Upton understood where he was coming from and going through as he also played professional cricket himself.

“What I went through, what is the cycle of having a long career, the ups and downs because he understood from a cricketing perspective (Paddy Upton); he’s played cricket himself. And after that becoming a sports psychologist is a different kind of space,” Kohli said.

Kohli further elaborated how the one who has played cricket understood the other guy’s struggles and challenges well.

“If you haven’t played and you are explaining struggles and challenges, then it’s different. The one who has played knows the margins of the game, the inches and the centimeters of a run-out or a catch being taken, a great short hit, but it went to the fielder if it was a foot away, something else,” Kohli added.