The Virat Kohli Chat That Revived PV Sindhu's Career

Indian badminton ace PV Sindhu credits a pivotal conversation with cricket superstar Virat Kohli for helping her navigate a challenging two-year period, rediscover her love for the game, and ultimately clinch a historic victory at the Japan Open.

When PV Sindhu stood on the podium at the Japan Open last week, tears welling up as she lifted her first major title in more than two years, it felt like the end of a long, painful journey. But the turning point had come much earlier.

Not during a training session. Not after a tactical breakthrough. It began with a phone call to someone who knew exactly what it felt like to carry the weight of expectations, battle self-doubt and fight through difficult phases at the highest level. Virat Kohli!

Overcoming Career Challenges

The previous two years had been among the toughest of Sindhu's career. A stress fracture had derailed her momentum.

Her Paris Olympics campaign ended in disappointment with an early exit. Every comeback seemed to be followed by another setback as injuries lingered and rehabilitation became a frustrating cycle. The title drought, stretching back to the 2024 Syed Modi International, only deepened the sense that one of India's greatest athletes was stuck.

Results weren't coming. Critics had begun writing her off.

For perhaps the first time in her career, Sindhu needed someone who truly understood what she was going through. She reached out to Kohli.

"One thing I'll always be grateful for is Virat bhai," Sindhu said in a post on X.

"I reached out to him at one of the lowest points of my career. Injuries were piling up, the results weren't coming, and I just needed someone who understood. He replied within minutes, and we met the very next day."

The Pivotal Conversation

It wasn't a planned mentorship session or a public meeting. Accompanied by her husband, Venkata Datta Sai -- who has been a pillar of support throughout her comeback and played an instrumental role in putting together her current support team with a stronger emphasis on data and preparation -- Sindhu spent hours talking to the former India captain in Bengaluru.

The details of that conversation will never be made public.

"What we spoke about will always stay between us. But I'll always be grateful that when I needed someone, he was there. He didn't say much, but every word stayed with Datta and me. Some conversations change the way you see things. That was one of them."

Kohli's advice wasn't about winning more titles or changing her technique. Instead, he urged her to stop chasing trophies and rediscover the joy that had first brought her to badminton. "The biggest thing I took away was the importance of finding your joy again," Sindhu admitted.

"Today, I know exactly why I wake up for those 5:30 a.m. sessions. And I can honestly say... it isn't the trophies. It isn't the wins. It's something much deeper."

Japan Open Triumph

That change in mindset was reflected on court. Sindhu defeated home favourite Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 to script history as the first Indian to win the Japan Open. At 31, she also became the oldest woman ever to win a BWF Super 750 title.

The final was far from straightforward. Sindhu established an early lead, weathered Yamaguchi's fightback, survived a gruelling 36-shot rally to level the opening game at 11-11, and held her nerve when the scores were locked again at 17-17. The second game followed a similar pattern, but this time there was no panic, no hesitation -- just a composed Sindhu closing out one of the biggest wins of her recent career.

The trophy ended a title drought that had lasted more than two years. But if Sindhu's own words are anything to go by, the biggest victory came before she ever stepped onto the court in Japan. It began with a simple message to Virat Kohli—and a conversation that reminded her why she loved the game in the first place.

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