Sports fandom is fickle. After India lost back-to-back Test series to New Zealand and Australia, its cricketers came under trenchant criticism. But after the Champions Trophy triumph, they are back to being the darlings of the masses.
Riding the crests and the troughs carefully is thus an invaluable skill, and in this, Virat Kohli is a bona fide master.
On Saturday, in conversation with former English cricketer Isa Guha at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit here at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, the premier batter spoke on the Champions Trophy win, his batting struggles prior to that and more. Excerpts:
On the Champions Trophy: We tried to create an environment of fun and involvement. We have so much talent today, but the flip side is we have too much information as well, with which one can get distracted. We tried to create a really nice and light environment and ended up winning because we adapted to the conditions better than the others.
Struggles during the Australia tour: You have to make peace. When you play for a long time, people get used to your performances and start feeling for you more than you do yourself. After the 2014 tour of England, they were saying, ‘now he has to go and score in England’. But I wasn’t feeling any of that desperation. [This time], I got a good score in the first Test [in Australia]. I thought, ‘It is going to be another big series’. It didn’t turn out that way. But within five, six days, I was excited to go to the gym again. I was like, ‘It’s all good’.
Cricket at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics: Maybe if we are playing for a gold medal, I would want to sneak in for one game. No… It’s a great thing for our cricketers. The amount of T20 cricket that has been played all over the world, the leagues, the IPL have all played a massive role. [To be] an Olympic champion would be a fantastic feeling.
The role of his family: I don’t think people understand what value it brings. I feel quite disappointed because those who have no control over what’s going on are brought into conversations and told ‘maybe they need to be kept away’. No. Ask any player… I don’t want to go to my room, be alone and sulk. I want to be normal. Then you can really treat your game like a responsibility. I wouldn’t miss any opportunity to spend time with my family.
Published - March 15, 2025 08:22 pm IST
