'He wanted me to...:' Sachin Tendulkar reveals how he came to a struggling Virat Kohli's aid in 2014

Virat Kohli had become a household name after India embarked upon a new era following their triumph in the 2011 ODI World Cup. The Indian batter had jumped up the ranks and became the mainstay of Indian batting post the retirements of stalwarts such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, etc.

However, Kohli endured a horrible Test series in England; his first-ever outing in whites in the country. In India's five-match Test series versus hosts England, Kohli returned with 134 runs in 10 innings at a dismal average of 13.40. Following the series, a lot of questions were raised on the Indian superstar's credentials against incoming deliveries as he repeatedly fell prey to James Anderson & Co.

After the series, Kohli met Master Blaster Tendulkar and reworked his batting style. Recently, Tendulkar revealed how he came to a struggling Kohli's rescue. 

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"Virat is a good friend. So pleased to see how his career has shaped in the last decade. When I started, I was part of the team at that time and I could see that fire and hunger in him. And from thereon, how he has worked hard on his game and how he has changed his lifestyle to achieve what he has been able to… has been remarkable," Tendulkar told Graham Bensinger.

He recalled, "Virat has been tremendous. He has done tremendously well and there is so much to happen in his career from here on. We all at some stage in our career, need heroes and the players who have that impact on their generation, motivate so many guys."

"In 2014, I remember meeting him and we discussed a couple of things where I felt he could get better. I have always believed in helping players and sharing my knowledge, whatever inputs I have… I've always been open to that. Virat contacted me and he wanted me to spend some time with him which I did. And like I said, that each generation looks up to their hero. That's how you set your dreams and set your targets. Then you start chasing them," added Tendulkar.

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Following his chat with Tendulkar, Kohli was on a run-scoring spree as he slammed three centuries in India's tour of Australia, in 2014-15. On his second Test series in England, Kohli silenced his critics in style by scoring 593 runs at 59.3 with two impressive hundreds and equal number of fifties.

At present, Kohli has been given a bio-bubble break and will skip the Sri Lanka T20Is. He will return for the home Test series versus the Islanders, starting on March 4.