Virat Kohli, India’s star batter, has not scored an international tonne in over 1,000 days, and speculation about his form is growing by the minute. The batter failed to score a fifty during the England tour and was then rested for the limited-overs series against the West Indies and Zimbabwe. And now, in an interview with Star Sports, Kohli has revealed why he needed a break and how he was trying to fake his intensity.
“I didn’t touch the bat for a month for the first time in ten years. I recently realised that I was trying to fake my intensity a little bit. You know how you can do that, you are competitive and you say I have the intensity, but your body is telling you to stop, to take a break, and to take a step back. I am regarded as a mentally strong man, and I am. Everyone has a limit, and you must recognise it or things will become unhealthy for you “Kohli stated.
“This period taught me a lot, and it brought to the surface many things that I had previously suppressed. I welcomed it when it appeared. I’m not afraid to admit that I was feeling mentally down; it’s a normal feeling, but we don’t speak up because we’re afraid of being labelled as mentally weak or weak people. Trust me when I say that pretending to be strong is far worse than admitting to being weak “He continued.
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It's @imVkohli like you've never seen him before as he opens up to his fans in a special episode of Virat: Heart To Heart.
Catch it today at 5 PM on Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar.#KingKohli #TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022 | #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/3GaIJ24SKe
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 27, 2022
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Kohli went on to say about his intensity: “I am the type of person who wakes up excited to see what the day has in store for me and to be a part of everything I do throughout the day with complete presence, involvement, and happiness. That is who I have always been; people frequently ask me how I deal with this on the field and how I maintain the same intensity. I simply tell them that I enjoy playing the game and that I have so much to offer, and that I would give my all on the field.”
“It never felt abnormal to me, and many people on the outside, as well as within the team, have asked me how I keep up with it. I just say one thing: I want my team to win at any cost, and if that means I’m gasping for air as I walk off the field, so be it. To be able to play like that, I go through a lot of preparation. That was not happening naturally, so I had to force it. But I just didn’t realise it “He continued.
Up close and personal with @imVkohli!
Coming back from a break, Virat Kohli speaks about the introspection, the realisation and his way forward! 👍
Full interview coming up on https://t.co/Z3MPyeKtDz 🎥
Watch this space for more ⌛️ #TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022 | #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/fzZS2XH1r1
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2022
Kohli’s next appearance will be in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022, where he will face Pakistan in Group A on Sunday in Dubai.
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