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“Be Happy For The Team.” Kohli Tells Journalist Who Comments On His Individual Performance.

byAbhishek Kulkarni
2nd February 2017
3 minute read

Virat Kohli has been receiving tremendous praise ever since he took up the role of skipper for the Indian team. Former skipper of the England team, Nasser Hussain called Kohli the Cristiano Ronaldo of cricket. Pakistani cricketing legends including Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar lauded him for his immense dedication to fitness. Most recently, Kohli also became one of the 8 sportspersons picked to receive the Padma Shri award this year.

However, Virat Kohli has always maintained that he is not a one-man show and has stood firmly behind his teammates whenever needed.

Australia v India - Game 4
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After India’s recent T20 series win against England, a reporter questioned Kohli regarding his less than stellar performance. And Kohli delivered a polite but assertive reply.

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“Sir, I had also opened in the IPL and I had scored four hundreds. No one said anything then. Now I couldn’t score in one match, then it’s a problem. Then (during the IPL last year) people said what a revelation (my opening slot was). Sir, focus on the others in the team also. There are 10 other people in the team. If I do everything, what will the others do? Give others a chance. It’s a great series win for us. I am happy about that and am not worried about my opening slot at all. Had I scored 70 runs in two matches, you wouldn’t have asked me this question, no? Be happy for the team, it’s a good series win. Enjoy it.“

 

In the past, Shikhar Dhawan faced a lot of flak from fans for not performing at par with expectations in Mohali against South Africa. Kohli strongly defended his teammate and asked urged people to stop being so harsh.

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“If you call scoring two centuries in three Test matches struggling, I don’t know what being in form is. He scored a century in Bangladesh and then in Galle. Unfortunately, he got injured and after that played in first Test in Mohali. So, let’s not be too harsh on someone just because of two innings.”

“When he gets going he will win you the game for sure.”

 

A while ago, R Ashwin received overwhelming praise for his record-breaking performance as a spinner. However, Harbhajan refused to give credit where its due and pointed out that the pitch conditions were in the spinner’s favour.

 

When Kohli heard about this, he was quick to come to the defence of his spinners.

Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin
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“I remember after we lost to New Zealand in the World T20, suddenly their spinners were quality and we were found out. I don’t see anyone talking about that now. The same spinners have played. Why have they not been able to pick wickets? It is as simple as that. Our fast bowlers picked wickets everywhere. We never complained about anything. You can give a guy a cement track to bat on. He (still) needs to have the mindset to score runs. It is as simple as that. Spin doesn’t happen only off the pitch. Spin is about how many revs you impart off the shoulder first. And then the ball will do something off the pitch.”

“We believe in our skill much more, and not focus on creating atmosphere or conditions that might suit us partially.”

 

Apart from being an ethical sportsperson, Virat Kohli is also a gem of a human being. Just last year, he valiantly came to the defence of Anushka Sharma on Twitter when fans began to troll her.

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His tweet even became the Golden Tweet of 2016!

Virat Kohli has never let his pride get in the way of being an effective captain. He has been a strong pillar of support for all of his teammates and friends. In press conferences, on social media and at interviews, Kohli has always made one thing clear, teammates come before all else.

Now that’s one gem of a captain!

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