'That Imposter Syndrome Is Always There' — Virat Kohli Just Said What Most High Achievers Won't Admit

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Nearly two decades at the top of world cricket. Over 80 international centuries. Captaincy of one of the most-watched teams on the planet. And still, the thought that creeps in at the nets: do I actually belong here?

Speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli admitted that self-doubt continues to shadow him even after nearly 20 years at the highest level of the game. What he said next, quietly, without the aggression he is typically associated with, was perhaps the most human thing he has said in public in years.

Photo Credit: PTI

What He Said

"As players, you're always walking a very thin line between being cautious and being insecure. You constantly feel like you're never good enough - that imposter syndrome is always there," Kohli said.

He did not stop at the abstract. He grounded it in the specific, everyday anxiety of someone still performing at the highest level. "Even today, when I go into the nets, I still think: these youngsters are watching. If I have a bad session, they'll probably wonder, 'Is this the guy who's been playing for 20 years?' That thought is always there," he added.

Imposter syndrome, the persistent internal belief that one's success is undeserved, that achievement has come by luck rather than ability, and that others will eventually see through the facade, is not a condition people typically associate with elite sportspersons. That is precisely why Kohli's candour matters.

The Toughest Years

VIRAT KOHLI SAID AT RCB INNOVATION LAB:

- "As players, youre always walking a very thin line between being cautious and being insecure. You constantly feel like youre never good enough - that imposter syndrome is always there. Even today, when I go into the nets, I still… pic.twitter.com/yQx8pHGvuo

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) May 20, 2026

Kohli revealed that he experienced imposter syndrome, particularly after stepping down as captain of the Indian team in 2022, a period during which he struggled to score runs and fans repeatedly questioned his form and fitness. The weight of captaincy, the public scrutiny of his form, and the identity shift that came with no longer leading the side all converged into a period of genuine psychological difficulty.

It was during this stretch that two people, in Kohli's telling, made the difference.

What Rahul Dravid Did

"I've said this many times about Rahul bhai and Vikram Rathour. I had a great phase in Test cricket, and whenever I meet them, I thank them from the bottom of my heart because they took care of me in a way that made me feel like I wanted to play for them," Kohli said.

The gratitude was specific, not generic. "I wanted to perform, grind it out, and do the hard work because they were so caring and nurturing. They reminded me of everything I had done so far - something you never really sit down and think about as a player," he added.

Kohli explained that Dravid understood those emotions because of his own experiences as an international cricketer. "Rahul bhai understood that because he had experienced it himself at the highest level. Vikram had been around for years too. They understood what I was feeling and genuinely took care of me mentally. That put me in a space where I could enjoy my cricket again," Kohli said.

What Dravid offered was not therapy in any clinical sense. It was something arguably rarer in elite sport: the presence of someone who had stood in the same place and come through it - and who chose to say so.

Why This Matters Beyond Cricket

Imposter syndrome does not discriminate by achievement. Research consistently shows it affects high performers across fields - medicine, academia, business, and sport - with particular prevalence among those who have undergone sudden role transitions or periods of public scrutiny. The fact that one of the most decorated batters in cricket history names it openly does something important: it removes the stigma that talking about self-doubt is somehow incompatible with being excellent at what you do.

Kohli also spoke about workload management and the importance of discovering one's own limits before pulling back. "If you start managing too early, you may never reach your full potential," he said. It is a philosophy consistent with the man, push through, but know what you are pushing through.

Bottomline

Virat Kohli did not need to say any of this. He could have spoken about technique, leadership, or IPL strategy; the safe, expected currency of sports summits. Instead, he named the feeling that visits even the greatest and admitted that he needed someone to remind him of his own record before he could believe it again. That Rahul Dravid was that person, a man defined throughout his career by quiet, unshakeable steadiness, feels entirely right.