'Was in denial, frustration was creeping in' - Virat Kohli on his prolonged grey patch
IND vs SL 2022-23: Virat Kohli played a match-winning knock of 113 against Sri Lanka in the opening Guwahati ODI, as India won by 67 runs. After slamming two straight ODI tons, he opened up on his prolonged grey patch for the last three years.
FollowA remarkably eloquent former Indian skipper and top-order batter Virat Kohli admitted being in complete denial about his "vulnerabilities" and "frustrations" during his poor run of form, which in turn also made him "cranky" and "snappy" with his family and friends. Kohli smashed his 45th One-Day International (ODI) hundred, an 87-ball 113, to guide India to a 67-run win over Sri Lanka in the opening game here on Tuesday. The 34-year-old batter had scored an identical 113 against Bangladesh in his final ODI of 2022 and has now 73 international hundreds, with the last three coming in the space of four months after a nearly three-year lull.
"In my case, in denial, frustration was creeping in. I was very cranky and very snappy in my space. It was not fair on [wife] Anushka [Sharma], my close ones. It's not fair to the people who support you. So, I had to take responsibility and put things in perspective," Kohli told teammate Suryakumar Yadav in an interview for bcci.tv.
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Kohli reiterated the need to be away from his primary passion for rekindling it and feeling hungry again. "I was far off from my cricket. My attachments, my desire, had taken over. That's when I realised I couldn't be away from who I am. I have to be true to myself. Even when I am vulnerable, I am not playing well. I am the worst player around. I have to accept it. I can't be in denial," Kohli admitted his frailties.
Kohli had a word of advice for Surya, who is in the form of his life as far as Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) are concerned. "Sometimes what happens, you will also experience it as you play more and more now, people look at you differently. When Surya goes out to play, people will say that Surya will do it. To keep up with it is an intense process," he told his junior colleague about the weight of expectations he has carried for over a decade.
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One only realises the downside when form deserts a player, said Kohli. "When your cricket is going well, all these things flow well, but whenever there is a slight dip, in my case, frustration started creeping in because I wanted to play in a certain way, but my cricket was not allowing me to play like before," he noted.
Kohli said he would like to build on his excellent form, starting the new year with a hundred. "I am just happy... I didn't have such a start in the last two years. It was the first match of the year, and I got a century, so I can build on this because it is also a World Cup year, and a big Test series is coming against Australia," he remarked.
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"When you score runs in any match, it gives you confidence. I am happy I could almost bat through the innings, giving the team 20-30 extra runs with dew coming in. I am just happy and excited to play," Kohli affirmed. He stressed the need to get away and come back refreshed, an approach that has helped him get rejuvenated.
"Sometimes your mindset goes up and down when you play so much, but keeping that mental freshness is helping me," Kohli commented. The former India skipper had endured an extended lean patch for the last few years and took a month off from the game last year before returning to score his first hundred in 1,020 days in September against Afghanistan in the 2022 Asia Cup T20 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Kohli continued his magnificent run in Australia in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, scoring 205 runs to be named the ICC Men's Player of the 'Month for October'. He then smashed his 44th ODI hundred in December last year. "When I returned relaxed in Asia Cup, I started enjoying training again, which is how I have always played cricket. So, I would say that if you feel even a bit of desperation, then take two steps back rather than pushing more and more because it will only go away from you," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
