“I drink this better than you” - Former teammate’s stunning revelation about Virat Kohli amid AUS vs IND 2025 series

Former Indian batter Abhinav Mukund made a stunning revelation about Virat Kohli's incredible competitive levels, even from their days as teammates in the Under-19 team. Mukund was part of the U-19 Indian 2008 World Cup squad, led by Kohli. India went on to win the World Cup, with Kohli playing a vital role with the bat, averaging 47 at a strike rate of 94.75 in six outings.

The tournament set the champion batter on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats in international cricket.

Talking about Kohli's personality even as a teenager in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Mukund said:

"I always felt that he was meant for bigger things. He was so driven as a person and as a cricketer. And he would want to be the best at everything. Anything he does. Even drinking this coffee or something like that, right? He'd be like, "Okay, I drink this better than you." And that's the sort of person that he was."

He continued:

"Virat was always very instinctive and aggressive. He was ultra-aggressive even back then. And he would go on to the field to win. Personally, I always [wondered]: will he be able to sustain this in international cricket? Because he was so wound up all the time. He was very aggressive. I always believed that he would play to win, and he would actually put on a game face."

Virat Kohli made his Indian debut soon after the 2008 U-19 World Cup in the ODI series in Sri Lanka.

"He used to be active during Covid" - Abhinav Mukund on Virat Kohli's presence in the U-19 2008 WhatsApp group

Abhinav Mukund revealed that Virat Kohli was an active participant in the U-19 2008 WhatsApp group during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the former Indian opener isn't sure if the veteran batter is still part of the group that continues to be in touch during momentous occasions.

"Captain [Kohli] was part of it. He used to be active [on the group] during Covid. I don't know if he's part of it still. But yeah, we keep in touch whenever someone achieves something. Like, two of the boys became umpires. Saurabh Tiwary became a member of JSCA [Jharkhand cricket association]. All of these events are sort of catalogued and you just congratulate them. Wishing happy birthday, " said Mukund (via the aforementioned source).

Virat Kohli was recently in action during India's ODI series in Australia, which concluded with the hosts winning 2-1. The 36-year-old scored back-to-back ducks in the first two matches before an unbeaten 74 in India's nine-wicket win in the series finale.