Virat Kohli told Jos Buttler '…I don't know how to play', exposed his vulnerable side: 'He spoke about his insecurities'

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

Anyone who uses Instagram or social media in general a lot knows about this next phrase: "Ek hi toh dil hai Virat Kohli bhai. Kitni baar jeetoge?" This is way too common for people to write about when it comes to Virat Kohli. The man is a living legend. He's achieved almost every batting feat that there is in white-ball cricket and continues to be revered around the world. However, in 2025, as he enters the final stage of his career, Kohli is doing what every great cricketer does – giving back to the game. At the end of a match, Kohli could be seen passing his knowledge to players of the opposition camp, more so during the IPL, which is anyway a breeding ground for youngsters. Ask any budding cricketer who has shared the ground with Kohli? He has nothing but wonderful things to say about him.
But did you know? Kohli's sharing of wisdom isn't restricted only to his own countrymen. Days after young Jacob Bethell revealed how Kohli helped him in Royal Challengers Bengaluru during IPL 2025, his England teammate Jos Buttler has joined the bandwagon in thanking Virat for the same. Buttler, representing the Gujarat Titans, holds the record for the third-most runs scored in a single edition of the IPL, behind Kohli (973) and Shubman Gill (890), when he plundered 863 runs for the Rajasthan Royals in 2022. However, the following year was a struggle for Buttler, and that's where Kohli came in to settle down his nerves.
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"I had that one season in 2022, where I scored 868 runs. But he [Kohli] holds the record for the most runs in a season – 973. Which is phenomenal. So I basically found the next season difficult, in the sense 'how do I live up to that' and we were training at the same time as RCB. I've played a lot against Virat. He's a huge competitor, but I just thought that I'll ask him a couple of questions. He had just finished batting. The question was about how you manage expectations. I mean, there are more expectations on him than anyone in world cricket. He was so generous with his time, so helpful. He just had to say 'Maybe you had that one season. Accept that. Don't try and replicate it'. It's ok. Life is going to be fine," Buttler told Stuart Broad during 'For the Love of Cricket' podcast.
That wasn't all. In order to paint an even clearer picture to Buttler, Kohli exposed his vulnerable side to Buttler, sharing his own insecurities with the former England captain. Kohli usually carries himself as this alpha male, unbothered, unperturbed by situations, but as Buttler pointed out, even our KING is a human, who is run by a bunch of emotions
"And then he started talking about some of the insecurities he sometimes has about his game and stuff like that. How he practices. I mean, this is arguably the best player of our generation, especially in white-ball and ODIs. I was so thankful for his time and grateful for his insights. Just amazed by the knowledge he had of my own game, what my work. He too is human. He said 'sometimes I pick up the bat and feel like I don't know how to play. I feel that quite a lot so if he feels that too, it's ok," added Buttler.