Abhishek Nayar, the former India assistant coach and current head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and UP Warriorz, has highlighted what he believes makes Virat Kohli truly special as a cricketer. Nayar’s assessment focuses on the mental strength and flexibility that have allowed Kohli to sustain his excellence across formats and years.
Nayar outlined the defining quality that sets Kohli apart from other accomplished batters. He explained that while many players who have scored heavily can become comfortable with a single approach, Kohli refuses to be confined by one method.
“One thing always comes to mind when we talk about Virat Kohli, and that is mentality. When you have scored a lot of runs, sometimes you become comfortable that you will score runs in a certain manner. But Virat is different. He does not stick to one method of scoring runs. People talk about his greatness. What is that greatness? It is his ability to change his method. Virat is someone who keeps scoring runs in different ways. His thinking that I want to do something I haven’t done before and giving himself that freedom is his greatness. He has scored fifteen thousand runs in the ODI format and that record repeatedly gives you the belief that playing like this gets me runs. So changing that mindset takes real courage,” Nayar said on JioHotstar.
What makes Kohli’s mentality special
Nayar emphasised that Kohli’s willingness to evolve his game demonstrates genuine courage. The milestone of 15,000 ODI runs represents a body of work built on a particular method, yet Kohli has shown the mental strength to question and reshape that approach rather than rely solely on what has worked in the past.
Nayar noted that Kohli has demonstrated this adaptability consistently throughout 2026. The former India skipper has worked on expanding his game, especially his strike rate and range of shots.
“Kohli has worked on expanding his game, especially his strike rate and range of shots. That is why he has stayed at the top for so long. His greatness is not just about the runs he scores, but about his ability to adapt and keep improving even after achieving everything,” he added.
This flexibility in method, combined with an unshakeable belief in his own process, forms the foundation of his sustained excellence at the highest level.
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