The most popular sport in the world met the most popular sport in India when Sunil Chhetri and Virat Kohli united for a Hotstar exclusive talk show hosted by Jatin Sapru to talk about their journeys and the future of sports in India.
Chhetri and Kohli have known each other for a long time but their friendship blossomed in the last two years. The cricket team captain said that they have a lot of fun with each other and joke most of the time but when they talk seriously, they discuss issues facing sport in India.
One such moment of jest came towards the end of the show when Sunil Chhetri said that Kohli is the best dancer he has seen. This came when the guests were promoting the upcoming edition of the Indian Sports Honours and Chhetri also added that Kohli will be performing in the show.
"Don't miss out because Virat is coming up with a great performance. There is no one who can dance better than him in Bollywood or anywhere else and I am being honest."
Chhetri then went to ask the host, "Have you seen him dancing? He's performing [at the Indian Sports Honours]"
In what was a momentous occasion for sports fans in India, the captains of their respective national teams also gave us interesting insights into their mindsets during tough situations.
"I am big on dreaming about situations where I am taking the team out of trouble or the odds are stacked against you at all times and you are the guy who believes when no one in the stadium believes. Then you end up doing it [bailing the team out of trouble] and then they're like 'Wow! What was that?' because it all starts from here [pointing to his brain] and that emotion is very, very important." Kohli said.
Chhetri agreed, saying, "I do it all the time – me being the hero. When things are going wrong I start dreaming – visualise – that I will do it [bail the team out]."
The duo then spoke about how they used to visualise being in tough situations since they were 8 or 9 years old and how that helps them cope with the pressure of actually facing them now. Kohli and Chhetri believe that playing well under pressure is the result of the seeds of belief sown in their childhood.
The pair who call each other "Skip" (Chhetri) and "Champ" (Kohli) respectively will be seen together on February 16 in the second edition of the Indian Sports Honours.
