No worries about milestones: Kohli at Day 1 stumps

Mohali (Punjab), March 4 : Former India captain Virat Kohli on Friday said that he is not too worried about milestones, but satisfied with his current form. “As long as your focus is on the right things, I am not too worried about milestones. I have never been bothered about that. “These conversations always happen on the outside and they will continue to do so because we somehow are crazy about milestones and materialistic achievements. “I certainly don’t like that. I am batting well and that for me is the most important thing,” he said at a virtual press conference after stumps on Day 1 of Mohali Test against Sri Lanka. Kohli was responding to a query about him failing to break his two-year-long century drought at the international level. In his landmark 100th Test, the former skipper could manage 45 before he was foxed by Lasith Embuldeniya’s spin. “I am preparing exactly the way I have prepared all along. As long as I am batting well, I am not bothered at all. People look at milestones and talk about a lot of things which are just a conversation on the outside, I know for a fact that I have been involved in very important partnerships for the team in the recent past.” Kohli said he has been performing consistently and hence the expectations are there which differs from person to person. “Even today, that partnership of 90 was important for us after we were 2 down for 80-odd,” he pointed out. Kohli, however, admitted that he was very nervous when he went out to bat for his 100th Test match. “Rahul (Dravid) bhai had asked me in the morning how are you feeling? I said to him, I am feeling like I am making my debut all over again. “To be honest, I had butterflies in my stomach. It was a special moment and I didn’t realise the magnitude of the occasion till the time things got closer to today and when the presentation ceremony happened. “I did feel very nervous walking out before,” he said. Ahead of the Test match, Kohli’s childhood hero and Team India Head Coach presented him with a specially-made cap. He made his Test India debut in 2011 and took 10 years and 257 days to reach this milestone. Kohli also admitted that he needs to convert the starts to put the team in a strong position. “Obviously disappointed as I got a good start. I was batting well. You obviously feel disappointed as a batsman. Endeavour is always to make sure to play a big innings for the team and put the team in a strong position,” he said. He, however, was quick to retort that the Covid norms were taking a toll on players who play in all formats of the game, including the Indian Premier League. “It’s not an easy environment to get away from the game and work on things you need to fine tune,” Kohli added. “It’s been tough playing three formats and IPL for so long. Proud of how I have handled my physique, my body.” Asked about the difference between playing as a batsman and a skipper, Kohli said his mindset was exactly the same even before leading the team. “I always wanted to be a responsible player for the team and I always took responsibility even when I wasn’t captain so for me, nothing changed,” he said. BDN ING

Leave a Comment