Virat Kohli provided some insight into how he has been able to cope with the pressures of the last six months or so, the criticism and suggestions that have been directed in his direction regarding the lack of runs, and his overall perspective on the situation.
Following the conclusion of the Twenty20 World Cup in 2022, Kohli made the decision to stand down as captain of Twenty20 Internationals. After the tour of South Africa, when the home team rallied from behind to win the series 2-1, Rohit Sharma was given the leadership of both the white-ball and the 50-over formats. Meanwhile, Kohli stepped down as the head of the Test team.
Kohli recently took a month-long sabbatical from cricket, which he subsequently said was a much-needed mental pause building up to the Asia Cup. Kohli is currently part of the Indian cricket team, which is competing in the Asia Cup.
Virat Kohli said, "when I left Test captaincy, only MS Dhoni messaged me out of so many people who had my number. There's a different bond with MS".
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 4, 2022
What did Virat Kohli say?
During the post-game press conference on Sunday, Virat Kohli shared the following statement with the media: “One thing I can tell you is that when I gave up Test leadership, I received a message from just one player who I’ve played with previously – MS Dhoni. A lot of people have my number, and a lot of people provide ideas on TV; but, among the individuals who have my number, I haven’t received a message from anybody else.”
“This is what it looks like when there is true respect and a connection with another person because there is safety on both sides. Neither Dhoni nor I ever had any reason to feel insecure about our relationship with one another. If you need any more assistance, all I can say is that if I want to tell someone anything, I will reach out to them personally. If you provide feedback when others are watching, I won’t give it any consideration since it will be public. If it is something that will help me improve, then we can discuss it one-on-one as well,” Kohli suggested.
Indian flag in the background, Virat Kohli scoring his fifty and kissing the Indian jersey.
What a picture! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/LDzg1Xz5Lz
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 4, 2022
Kohli praised the present team atmosphere that Rohit Sharma and the team management have been able to build and stated that he was able to “get that enthusiasm again” upon his comeback for the multi-team tournament.
