A highlight of Virat Kohli’s tenure as India captain was the 2-1 lead against England in the 2021 Test tour. His leadership got the Indian team focusing on fitness and began winning abroad, including a maiden Test series win in Australia.

In such difficult circumstances, the Indian team was anticipated to be more competitive. Kohli led India to their first series victory in Australia in 2018-19, but the buildup was challenging, as they lost 1-4 in England in the summer of 2018.

Actor Varun Dhawan shared insight into Kohli's psychology during that series, reflecting on what he had learned about the then-Indian captain's attitude to the challenge of that 2018 series from Kohli's wife, actress Anushka Sharma.

“Virat, I mean, everything he’s been through, the times he’s not been in good form, some insights that Anushka shared with me, about his mindset. I think it was a Nottingham Test. Where India had lost, and she said she didn’t attend that game that day. She came back, she didn’t know where Virat was, and she came to the room and saw him laid down, literally crying,” Dhawan said on the TRS podcast.

While Dhawan most likely mixed up his Test matches, with the Trent Bridge match being India's solitary victory in the series, the difficulties of the other losses remained.

Dhawan continued: “How he took the whole thing on himself like I failed, when he was still the highest scorer that day. He was the captain of the side.”