Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 27 (IANS) Talismanic batter Virat Kohli on Sunday said milestones have never been his focus and that he is excited to ‘unlock a new version’ of himself at this stage of his career, after becoming only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 15,000 ODI runs.
The 37-year-old, who got to the landmark faster than anyone in men’s ODI, smashed an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls – his 55th ODI ton – as India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI here at the Greenfield International Stadium to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
“Well, my focus has never really been on these milestones, so to say. It’s just understanding the situation along the course of just doing the job for the team, whatever. Achievements come along. Obviously, I feel very grateful and very blessed to be in this position for having played for so long.
“Just keeping my head down, working hard, and thanking God for everything that I’ve been blessed with and the opportunities that I’ve gotten in my life to be where I am. We have a very blessed life and a blessed journey because so many people want to be here, but we get to be the lucky ones. So, we better put our head down and just work hard every day of our lives,” said Kohli in a chat with broadcasters at the conclusion of the game.
Kohli, who now plays only ODIs for India, said the key to his recent consistency in the 50-over format lay in staying fit and mentally fresh. “I think just the understanding of the game firstly, also at the stage that I’m at – just keeping myself physically very fit, because the game’s more or less in the mind.
“I’ve never been a guy who practiced a lot, even when I was playing all three formats, as you know. So it’s just for me about staying mentally fresh, staying in the present moment and just expressing myself really out there to play in a certain way, get used to this template more often.”
The former captain said he had set himself the task of batting at a higher tempo in ODIs. “I’ve got a challenge at this stage of my career to kind of up the ante and play a gear or two higher, and that was exciting for me to work on. Again, it excites you when you have to unlock a new version at this stage of your career, which will eventually help any team that you play for, be it playing for India or in the IPL.
“It’s really helped me a lot to play with a free mind, and I think that’s what’s working for me. But I think to follow a free mind, you need a fit body. So for me it works the other way around. I stay physically fit and then I’m able to visualize the game in the way that I want to play, which allows me the best chance to go out there and execute in the way that I did tonight.”
Asked about his state of mind, Kohli spoke of the gratitude he feels for his journey. “I’m just very grateful and happy, to be honest. Like, it’s the only thing we need to do is just look back once and, where we came from. That’s something that we tend to forget when we are caught up with the hustle of the world and the positions we get into with so much attention and fame and so much love from the fans.
“It can be very easy to forget where you came from. But I think just looking back at the journey from when you started as a child just makes you feel grateful. I enjoy each and every minute that I’m out there playing for India, because I understand that, as I said, I could have been a possibility that I wouldn’t be standing here. I wouldn’t have played for India at all. That could have been my reality as well.
“But I’m getting to live all these amazing moments representing my country, playing in front of such big crowds and doing the job for the team. As a cricket player, this is all that I dreamt of, and I’m getting it. So I have nothing but gratitude in my heart, and, as I said, I just want to put my head down, keep working hard, put a smile on my face, and hopefully make other people smile too,” he explained.
Kohli also had a message for young players who look up to him. “It’s a fact which we don’t want to face as athletes, that even if everything ends after this game, you have to play the way you want to play the game and you have to remind yourself that every time you go out to play.
“That unlocks that positivity, that taking a risk, that unlocks that mindset which helps you to win games for your team. That’s the only advice I would give to the young guys: don’t think a lot about all the other stuff outside of the field. Once you enter the ground, this is everything, and it should be everything for you guys and just put your body on the line.
“As I said, put your head down. If you have to run four doubles in an over when you’re batting at 150, you have to do it. There are no excuses. So if they play like that, then you should be fine,” he added.
With the 2027 ODI World Cup a year away, Kohli said playing a single format had given him clarity about his goals. “Also clarity – I mean, we’re a year away from the World Cup. I know what my goal is, and it’s pretty clear for me that whatever games we get, I just need to keep working on different aspects of the game, keep myself physically fit, challenge myself to be out there, run from boundary to boundary in the last 15 overs if I can, field in the inner ring, show intensity.
“If I keep ticking all those boxes, as I said, I’ve got some time left to play in this format as well, and yeah, I just want to enjoy every day. So when I get an opportunity, I feel happy rather than feeling anxiety or pressure to make the most of it.
“I just want to express myself and play my game. As I said, I promised myself I’m going to play positively because I can. So I’m going to continue to play like that, but not be reckless. There’s a fine line which, as a professional, as an experienced player, I should have the ability to execute in this way without playing reckless shots and get the team through,” he added.
Kohli, who added 151 for the second wicket with skipper Shubman Gill (110), was full of praise for his captain. “There’s a reason why he’s leading the team. He’s got the right perspective, as I said, to look at the game in the way that making the team win from different situations. When you play with a guy like that, it’s not very difficult to string in a partnership, because he knows what needs to be done, I know what needs to be done.
“You could have a conversation here and there based on your experience in terms of the areas we could probably hit, but he’s the top ODI batter in the world. There’s not much that needs to be said to him. It’s just about stringing in partnerships and making sure we do justice to the ability and the talent we have in this team.
“He’s probably up there with the best players in the world and obviously a very talented guy. So not having to say much to him while batting. In the field, when he needs my help, I’m always available,” he concluded.
–IANS
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