Former Indian captain Virat Kohli got his 45th Player of the Match award, trailing only Sanath Jayasuriya (48) and Sachin Tendulkar (62) on the all-time record. Kohli talked out on the feelings that come with such accolades.
During India’s first ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara, the veteran struck 93 runs off 91 balls. When asked if he keeps count of the number of Player of the Match accolades he has received, Kohli replied with a humorous response. He formed an important 118-run partnership with Shubman Gill and later scored 77 runs with Shreyas Iyer. Kyle Jamieson eventually dismissed Kohli in the 40th over.
“No, honestly, I have no idea. I send it to my mum in Gurgaon. She likes keeping all the trophies. She feels proud of it,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
Virat Kohli also reflected on his journey as a modern-day great, thanking and appreciating God. He stated that he is proud of his gameplay and believes that all skill originates from God.
“Well, honestly. If I look back at my whole journey, it is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I have always mentioned that I have always known my abilities. How much ability I had when I came in, and I had to work a lot more to get to the place where I am today. God has blessed me with way too much for me to complain about anything. I feel nothing but gratitude. I always look at my journey with a lot of grace and a lot of gratitude in my heart and I feel proud about it,” said Kohli.
The great batter also discussed his thinking and approach to batting at number three, emphasizing the necessity of remaining calm and composed, which has helped substantially to his current success.
“Well, the basic idea is I bat at number 3. If the situation is tricky, I back myself to counterattack now rather than to play the situation. Because some ball has your name on it, no point waiting for it. You back yourself enough to put the pressure back on the back foot.”
Virat Kohli
“Honestly, if I am brutally honest about the way I am playing right now, I am not thinking about the milestones at all. Like, if we were batted first today, I would have gone a bit harder. Even with the chase, with a total on the board, I had to kind of buckle down. The experience kicks in but I just wanted to take the team in a winning position.”
Virat Kohli
