Virat Kohli's Inspiring 'Rebuilt From Scratch' Mantra Helped PV Sindhu Win Japan Open 2026

Japan Open 2026: PV Sindhu created history in Tokyo by winning her maiden Japan Open title. She beat local favourite Yamaguchi in the summit clash to clincg the title. It was her first big title in six years and it was important for her to win it as there is a big tournament in India next month and a victory of such magnitude would do wonders to her confidence. But who would have imagined it was the words of cricket icon Virat Kohli that made all the difference for Sindhu? Yes, Kohli's words of wisdom helped Sindhu overcome her slump to go on to create history in Tokyo. 

ALSO READ: Kiwi Pacer Nathan Smith Wins ICC Men's Player Of The Month Award

How Kohli Helped Sindhu

At a time when Sindhu was struggling for form and rhythm, she approached Kohli for help. She wanted to know how Kohli overcame his personal slump when he went without a century for a long period. The answer from the Indian cricket icon was simple: he had focused on rediscovering the joy of scoring runs.

"We had to rebuild her joy," Sindhu's husband Venkata Datta Sai said in an interview with the Indian Express.

He added: "Virat's words kept ringing in my head. At Atlanta's Exos Sports Performance facility, she trained with three excellent trainers-Wayne, Tim, and Rayan. My sister would drive her to the facility every day for three weeks for rehab and strengthening. We rekindled her love for the game in a family environment where she wasn't a star, just a regular person."

Datta also went on to reveal how everyone was moved to tears when Sindhu defeated Akane Yamaguchi in the final to claim the Japan Open title.