Unlike many of his teammates - batsmen and bowlers around the world too - Keaton Jennings has no fear of Virat Kohli. The Englishman still in his cricketing infancy - was a familiar figure around training camps of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009 when Keaton's father, Ray Jennings, was at the helm of the Indian Premier League side. Virat was around then, and so was Anil Kumble, now coach of the Indian team. So when Keaton made his debut in the fourth Test at the Wankhede, Jennings Sr stayed glued to the television. He was thousands of miles away, but the South African watched intently as his son took on a team led by old friends who happen to be on the opposite side of the fence.

In an exclusive chat with TOI on Friday, Jennings Sr, 62, spoke of the gamut of emotions he went through watching his son bat. The overwhelming one was pride.

"I'm proud that Keaton has done so well on debut. Considering he has debuted and done well in a country where I've spent a lot of time is special. I would have loved to watch him live in action. But given my connection with India, there would have been a lot of focus, so I thought it was important for me to leave him by himself and allow him to enjoy the opportunity that he had gained rather than worry about the people around him," Jennings said.

Jennings Sr, who spent five summers at RCB, is well acquainted with Indian conditions and the current crop of Indian players. He shared his knowledge with his 24-year-old son, who captained the South Africa U-19 and then chose to represent England.Keaton became eligible to represent England in March this year after completing the mandatory four-year qualification criteria.

"Keaton has been to India twice earlier during the IPL with me, so he's experienced India earlier. Over the years, I have learnt a lot about Indian grounds, players and conditions and know them pretty well. So I shared my Indian experiences with him. I told him what I knew, but it was up to him to execute it. I told him to enjoy the opportunity, pressures and privileges, " pointed out Jennings.

Asked to rate opener Keaton's innings 219-ball 112 as a coach, Jennings explained, "Going into a team which is 2-nil down and playing your first game in India and opening the innings in that was a tough challenge he had. His performance -based on the pressures and situations -was a good one."

On asked about the ease with which Keaton negated the spinners, Jennings revealed, "I've worked with and watched Virat Kohli over the years. He is the best player of spin in the world. And when you have to play spin in India there is a lot to learn from the way he plays, so we fed off that knowledge."

Jennings added his brother Kenneth has been instrumental in Keaton's mental conditioning. "The mental aspect of a person's game is all about handling pressure. My brother is a sports psychologist and Keaton was taught to handle pressure from an early age."