Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has openly validated labels like "arrogant", "spoiled brat", and "on edge" for Virat Kohli but clarified they apply strictly when the star batter is in battle mode during a match.

Shastri commended Kohli's elite psychological ability to completely switch off his hyper-aggressive persona the moment he steps outside the boundary ropes.

“Arrogant. Spoiled brat. Over the top. On edge. Everything true, but on the field. Totally the opposite off it. I love people who can switch on like that and then switch off,” Shastri said in a video posted on the One8 YouTube channel.

“Then came him, one of the biggest ambassadors of red-ball cricket over the last, I still say the most influential in advancing the red-ball game. And with him leading from the front, you know it went down within the ranks,” he added.

This duality is precisely what fueled one of Indian cricket's most dominant eras. During their highly successful partnership as coach and captain, Shastri intentionally nurtured Kohli’s relentless fire rather than trying to tame it.

This intense mindset was a deliberate tool used to inject a fearless, never back down attitude into the entire Indian squad, propelling them to historic heights—most notably securing legendary Test series triumphs on Australian soil.

In the same video, Kohli spoke about the traditions that he would have liked to see being carried forward in cricket.

“I feel fortunate to have grown up in an era when playing Tests for India was the ultimate dream. That was the message we constantly received from our coaches and the players we looked up to. I still remember walking through Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to Ground B and watching the Ranji Trophy team train on the main field. To us, they felt like superheroes; the intensity they brought, their professionalism, and the sheer quality of their skills left a lasting impression,” Kohli remarked.