New Delhi [India], February 19 (ANI): India skipper Virat Kohli said that the demise of his father was the “most impactful” thing that happened to him and it put things in “proper perspective” for him.
He said that thereon his belief became even stronger to realise his dream of representing the country.
“When I look back at that particular time, it is probably the most impactful thing that happened to me at the time. You, obviously, go along in your cricket journey but after a stage, you figure out is this something I really want,” Kohli said during a conversation with former England first-class cricketer Mark Nicholas on his podcast — ‘Not Just Cricket’.
“And that incident really put things in a proper perspective for me because my father did work very hard in my initial days to make sure that I get the best cricket gear or I continue with my cricket practice or there is no problem with the enrolment fees in the academy. Also, taking me to the games here and there. So, there is a lot of effort that went into it. And then from there on, it made my belief even stronger that come what may, I am definitely going to realise my dream to play at the highest level and represent my country,” he added.
Apart from his skillful batting and leadership qualities, Kohli is known for his competitiveness on the cricket field. Reflecting on his competitive nature, the skipper said it is just how he is built and he cannot fabricate things to look good in front of a certain set of people.
“For me, what matters is what I can do as an individual and how much I can provide on the cricket field as an individual. I cannot fabricate things to look good in front of a certain set of people. That is just not who I am because to me, those things are not relevant when the top priority is to try and win every situation, moment, and every ball for your team. And it is not only down to when I bat, I am like that on the field as well. I, most of the time, celebrate more than my bowlers. That’s is just how I am built,” Kohli said.
The 32-year-old also said that playing for India is the “absolutely top priority” for him as it is a chance to represent 1.3 billion people and inspire people.
“Playing for India is an absolutely top priority for me. It is a chance for me to represent 1.3-1.4 billion people. It is a chance for me to inspire people with what we do on the field and what I can do as an individual. And that is my driving force today. If you look back at how this team of ours has gone through a transition and come to where we are in world cricket, there is a good reason behind that we are absolutely passionate to represent our country and represent in a way that it teaches competitiveness to people watching and teaches people that you can beat anyone and anywhere in the world,” Kohli said when asked to define what playing for India means to him.
“When you are getting on to the plane to go play in foreign conditions, you are excited and not intimidated. As long as we can instill that belief and competitiveness in the generations to come then we have left this place much better than what we came into,” he added. (ANI)