It’s been just a fortnight since India’s exit from the World Cup but skipper Virat Kohli has moved well past the disappointment. In an interview with The Times of India, the 30-year-old reflected on how he’s keeping himself motivated for the challenges that lie ahead.
India were one of the favourites at this World Cup and expectations grew once they finished the league stage at the top of the points table. But a dramatic batting collapse against a spirited New Zealand side saw the two-time champions crashing out in the semi-finals.
It was a bitter pill to swallow and as far as Kohli is concerned, his team didn’t do much wrong in their exit from the marquee 50-over event. According to him, the men in blue were simply outplayed by the Kiwis. “It’s very difficult to digest because you know you didn’t make many mistakes to be knocked out,” he was quoted as saying in the interview.
He isn’t getting bogged down by the disappointment, though. He’s known for his work ethic and passion for the game and he’s sticking to his strengths to remain in a positive frame of mind.
“If you give up, the journey is done. There’s no option but to get up again and work hard, do the same things over and over again,” he says. “Consistency and success is nothing but repeating the same things day in and day out. It’s actually boring. Consistency is boring. It’s very tough. It’s like being in one zone and being repetitive about what you practice.”
The road ahead for the Indian cricket team is a difficult one. Many of the first-choice players in the just-concluded World Cup – like Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan – are over 30-years-old and it’s important to invest in youngsters on a consistent basis.
Having said that, this team is still very much Kohli’s. He has many years of cricket left ahead of him and is easily one of the best batsmen in the world at the moment. He’ll need to play a crucial role in easing youngsters into the side and building a strong foundation in the coming years.
Kohli is mindful of this fact and insists that he’s as friendly with someone like Kuldeep Yadav as he is with a veteran like Dhoni. “Daatne wala mahaul ab toh change room mein hain hi nahin [the culture of scolding people isn’t there in the change room now],” he says.
“The atmosphere is such that anyone can say anything to anyone. I am like walking up to people and telling them, ‘dekh maine yeh galtiya kari hain, tu mat kar [listen, I have committed these mistakes, make sure you don’t do them]’. I believe in empowering people.”
One of the biggest contributions of Kohli to Indian cricket is his commitment towards maintaining a high level of fitness. But the skipper insists he isn’t a taskmaster as far as fitness is concerned. He doesn’t go about telling players that they need to maintain a certain standard to have a chance of making it to the team. “I do my job. I work hard at the gym, at my practice. I will give my 120 per cent. I never tell someone, ‘do this or do that’,” he says.
For Kohli, it’s all about inspiring those around him by setting the right example. “Invariably, people see me and say, ‘yaar yeh 11 saal se khel raha hain. Yeh chaahe toh aaram se yahaan baithke aaram se chill kar sakta hain. Issne itna perform kiya, yeh phir bhi aise kyu karta hain [this man is playing for 11 years. He can easily sit back and relax. He has performed so well and yet why is he going through this gruelling routine]?’ So they feel ‘hum kyu nahin kar satkte hain [why can’t we do this)]’.
“It’s not like they have been told to do it. That’s how they come around the whole thing. You can see the difference in Test cricket. Players have clarity in their mind because their body is supporting their mind.”