Abhinav Mukund, who was a part of the Indian team which won the U-19 World Cup under Virat Kohli's leadership in 2008, lauded the talismanic batter for his competitiveness. India defeated South Africa by 12 runs (via DLS method) in the final in Kuala Lumpur on March 2, 2008. Kohli finished as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 235 runs from six innings at an average of 47 and a strike rate of 94.75. He made his international debut later that year and never looked back.

During his career, apart from scoring tons of runs and winning India several matches, Kohli became known for his tremendous hunger and dedication. In his 18th year in international cricket, the 36-year-old plays each game with the same level of intensity.

Former India cricketer Mukund recalled how competitive the Delhi batter was even during his initial days in professional cricket.

"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," Mukund said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.

"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."

Mukund revealed that Kohli was an active member of the U-19 team's group on WhatsApp during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the cricketer-turned-expert said that he isn't sure if the former India skipper is still part of the group or not.

"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).