Indian batter Virat Kohli and former skipper of the team Virat Kohli has revealed that only Mahendra Singh Dhoni sent him messages of support during a tough phase of mental struggle after quitting the Test captaincy.
“When I left Test captaincy then one person messaged me was MS Dhoni. No one else even though they have my number. Neither he wants anything from me and nor I want anything from him. If there is a genuine connection, it is reflected this way. We were not insecure of each other. People give a lot of suggestions publicly. If I want to say something to someone, I would reach out individually. If one does want me to improve, he can talk to me one on one. But if you want to give me suggestions publicly, I do not hold value to it,” he concluded.
“The respect and connection that you have with someone, that shows in this way,” Virat Kohli said. “There are some connections which are genuine and it has some security.”
“It’s not bad to take a break and I hope this gives people strength and are able to address their feelings,” Kohli reiterated. “Anybody can have such feelings but it’s important to recognise and take care of it.
“You will get more frustrated if you ignore it. I am happy, I am excited and enjoying my cricket again which was the most important thing for me.”
Virat Kohli also had some strong words of support for young pacer Arshdeep Singh, who had dropped a crucial catch in the 18th over of the match.
“Even when I played my first game against Pakistan in Champions Trophy, I played a bad shot and got out. Anyone can make mistakes under pressure. It is natural to feel bad. The team environment is great right now, credit for this goes to management and captain. So one must accept his mistake, address it and look forward to being in that pressure situation once again,” said Kohli in a post-match press conference on Sunday.
Virat has played solid knocks in Asia Cup so far. He has scored 154 runs at an average of 77.00. His best individual score is 60 and he has hit two half-centuries.
The star batter agrees that such great matches between India and Pakistan are good for not only two arch-rivals but also international cricket as a whole.
“Pakistan is a good balanced side. They have a potent bowling attack. When two good balanced team play then there will be exciting matches,” he added.
He also lavished praises on all-rounder Hardik Pandya, saying, “Hardik has utilized his potential. He realizes what he can do. Once he gets going he can take the game away.”
The batter admitted that Mohammad Nawaz’s innings of 42 runs in just 20 balls was a turning point in the game.
“A chance was taken by sending him up the order. To play such impactful innings is good. Had his innings been restricted to just 15-20 runs, things could have been different,” he added.
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