Never back down: PV Sindhu reveals invaluable advice from Virat Kohli in a special meeting

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu recently opened up about the invaluable advice she received from Virat Kohli during their meeting at the India Sports Summit held at the RCB Innovation Lab in Bengaluru. Sindhu shared how Kohli consistently guided and encouraged her whenever she needed support.

Calling him a true pinnacle of Indian sports, Sindhu praised Kohli’s humility, generosity and willingness to inspire other athletes. The badminton star also revealed to her Kohli’s simple yet powerful message to never back down, words she said she will always carry as motivation in her sporting journey.

“Whenever I needed guidance, you were always there with the right advice and the right words. There is no better example of what a true senior in Indian sports should be: generous, grounded, inspiring and always willing to lift others up,” Sindhu wrote in a heartfelt post on Instagram.

“Never back down PV. Advice taken. Stay the absolute force of human being that you are. Indian sport is better because of people like you,” Sindhu added.

HOW SINDHU, KOHLI DID IN RECENT PERIOD

PV Sindhu has endured a mixed run in recent months. After struggling with injuries during the second half of 2025, Sindhu returned to the competition with some encouraging performances. One of her standout moments came at the 2025 BWF World Championships, where she stunned world number two Wang Zhiyi to reach the quarterfinals. She also recorded an impressive win over Thailand’s Pornpawee Chochuwong at the China Masters.

However, 2026 proved to be more challenging for the two-time Olympic medalist. Sindhu reached the semifinals of the Malaysia Open before bowing out in straight matches. She also suffered from a Exit from the round of 16 at the Badminton Asia Championships after another defeat with the Chinese Wang Zhiyi.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has once again emerged as one of the standout performers in IPL 2026 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Kohli smashed an unbeaten 105 against Kolkata Knight Riders to register his ninth IPL century and become the fastest batter to complete 14,000 T20 runs.

He has consistently been among the leading run-scorers this season and played a key role in helping RCB qualify for the playoffs. In 13 matches, Kohli has scored 542 runs at an average of 54.20 and a strike rate of 164.74, including one century and four fifties.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

19 May 2026 19:58 IST