Former India captain Virat Kohli is back in the flow of runs as he scored a match-winning century in the 1st ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. It was his 2nd consecutive ODI ton which took his count to 45th only behind Sachin Tendulkar (49). After the match, he joined swashbuckling batter Suryakumar Yadav for a candid conversation.
Speaking to Suryakumar Yadav after the match, he said: "Well, I said this in the post-match presentation as well. Sometimes what happens is people look at you differently. Now, when Surya goes out to play, people think Surya will do it. Keeping up with that is a very intense process. And sometimes what happens is, when you're playing cricket well, your form is good, and all those things flow well. "
"But when it dips a little, in my case, frustration started creeping in. Because I wanted to play in the same fashion and people have this expectation, so I play like this, I should play like this, I will have to play like this."
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"But cricket didn't allow me to play in that fashion. It was a different time for me. And because of that, where my game was, it was very far away. Because my desires and attachments had totally taken over.
"That's when I realised I can't be away from who I am. I have to be true to myself. Even when I am vulnerable and not playing well, I'm the worst player around, I have to accept it. I can't be in denial. Because in denial, in my case, a lot of frustration was creeping in and I was getting very cranky, and very snappy in my space, which wasn't good at all. I did not feel it was fair to anyone around me. Anushka, my close ones. It is not fair to the people that support you and are with you all the time to keep seeing you in that space. I had to take responsibility and put things in perspective."
The star batter added that when you feel a little bit of depression always take two steps back instead of pushing things further.
"After that, when I came back relaxed for the Asia Cup, I started enjoying the practice. I started enjoying training again. Which is how I have always played my cricket. What I will say is that if you feel a little bit of desperation, always take two steps back, rather than pushing more and more. Because then things will start to go away from you," Kohli concluded.
India beat Sri Lanka by 67 runs on Tuesday to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series. The second match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the Edens Garden in Kolkata.
Check out full interview here:
Inputs from IANS