Mumbai - Virat Kohli revealed Monday that sage advice from India great Sachin Tendulkar after a disastrous tour of England two years ago helped turn him into world cricket's top batsman.
Kohli flopped during India's 3-1 series defeat in England in the summer of 2014, making a total of only 134 runs over 10 innings and mustering a top score of just 39.
Two years on and 28-year-old Kohli is celebrating a 3-0 series victory over Alastair Cook's side, which included a century and a stunning double century – his third of the year.
Kohli said he spoke to Tendulkar, regarded by many as the greatest batsman ever, and attributed some of the turn-around in his form to what the former India captain had to say.
"The best advice was not to read or look up things that were being said about me. I'm not joking or trying to be sarcastic. That was the best advice I got," said Kohli.
"That was one thing that kept pulling me back as far as Test cricket is concerned," added Kohli, who succeeded Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain early last year.
"Being captain took my mind more off those things because I had absolutely no time to read up or hear what people had to say about me.
"It was all about thinking about what the team has to do and that has helped me immensely to stay focused on what I have to do on the field," said the star batsman.
Kohli has been the standout batsman of 2016, amassing more than 1,000 runs in Test cricket for the year and bringing the total for his career to more than 4,000.
The Indian skipper smashed 235 runs in the second innings against England as the hosts humiliated their opponents in the fourth Test, winning by an innings and 36 runs.
It came after he scored a century in the first Test in Rajkot. Kohli has also hit double tons against the West Indies and New Zealand this year.