After all these years, Virat Kohli stands in a league of his own because he believes in his own process. Years of experience, triumphs, heartbreaks, wins and losses have given him a deep understanding of what works for him and what doesn’t. Which is why, despite not playing for most of the year, he rarely shows signs of rust. Just look at what happened last year. Kohli was out of action for six months, yet when he returned, he smashed 616 runs in just 7 ODIs. Even after his cheap dismissal against England in the previous match, few would bet against him roaring back in the remaining two games. When he isn’t playing, Kohli follows his own preparation routine away from the public glare, training at Lord’s indoor facilities to ensure he stays in tune with the evolving demands of international cricket.
A fascinating anecdote shared by former India batting coach Abhishek Nayar perfectly illustrates Kohli’s unshakable faith in his own process. In October last year, when Kohli returned to competitive cricket for India for the first time since the Champions Trophy, he registered back-to-back ducks. But when Nayar reached out to him, Kohli politely declined any intervention, saying he trusted himself to work through the lean patch. And work through it he did.
“I’ve known Virat for a really long time, but one thing I realised in the recent past is that the reason Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli is because of the belief systems he has. No matter what happens, that belief never changes. When Virat was struggling in Australia and had those two ducks in the ODI series, I’d just come out of the Indian team, so we were still in touch,” Nayar said JioStar’s ‘Googlies’.
“I asked him if everything was okay and whether there was anything he wanted to talk about. He simply said, ‘No, all good. It’s part of the game.’ I then said, ‘I have an observation. Do you want to hear it?’ He smiled and replied, ‘No, I’ll do it my way.’ I laughed. After the next game, I got the answer, ‘I did it my way.’ For me, that is the hallmark of Virat Kohli. The great players know how to do it when the going gets tough. We can analyse, imagine and envision, but they’ve done it repeatedly at the highest level. That’s why my respect for players like Virat and Rohit is so much.”
Ro-Ko back and why it’s good news for Team India
With Kohli and Rohit Sharma back in action, and India securing a six-wicket win in the series opener at Edgbaston, the team’s morale is understandably high. A victory in either Cardiff or at Lord’s would do coach Gautam Gambhir, who has been stung by the T20I defeats, a world of good. Kohli and Rohit didn’t score heavily in the opener, but with two matches still to come, a big innings from either could go a long way towards ensuring India builds on its winning start.
“What Rohit and Virat will bring is calmness and confidence, and that only comes with experience. The T20I squad lacked experience, so having players who have consistently performed against England across Tests, ODIs and T20Is will give the dressing room belief because they know how to win. It won’t be easy. England have identified certain areas they can target, and after a 4-0 T20I series defeat, there will naturally be some pressure on the team. But the confidence Rohit and Virat bring can rub off on the rest of the squad. They have also had time to prepare before the ODI series, and that preparation should help them perform well. I hope they have a strong series,” mentioned Nayar.
