Cox admitted there were times when he wondered whether an opportunity would knock on his door a second time.
“I was three days away from playing my first Test and then got injured, which was just unlucky, a freak incident,” Cox recalled.
“There were definitely thoughts of ‘I’m never going to play again’.
“I had that Test cap right there, then I couldn’t get it. It felt like that was the end, as bad as that sounds.
“I remember talking to Virat about it. He said: ‘There are billions of people who don’t even know who I am. The sun will come up in the morning – I don’t really care’.
“Obviously he cares when he goes out on to the field of play, because he’s crazy on the field. When he comes off the field, he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll meet.
“It’s about how I can be like that. How can I be really aggressive on the field, then when I come off everyone says ‘He’s a great bloke’?”
That perspective is something Cox intends to retain as he takes on a greater responsibility against Pakistan when England take them on in the upcoming Test series.
“I’ll keep it forever, I think,” Cox added.
“He (Kohli) is someone that I’ve looked up to and I’ve managed to spend what felt like four months with him in India. He’s someone that I’ll text if I’m ever feeling down or need a bit of help. He’s always at the end of the phone.”
