Virat Kohli has learnt to take failures in his stride. He has also come to terms with analysing his game and making appropriate changes to suit the situation.
“I think as a cricketer you find out things about your game which you probably are not aware of when you are playing well. It is only when you don’t score runs and you are getting out in a particular way that you need to address those issues. I have gone back and worked hard on those particular areas,” he said ahead of the India-West Indies ODI here.
“Over the past two weeks I have had two different camps where I really worked hard on my game and on the areas that I needed to improve,” Kohli insisted.
“Your technique is only as good as how good you are feeling mentally. If you are feeling mentally good your technique is perfect because you are scoring runs.
“If you are not feeling mentally confident, doesn’t matter how technically correct you are you will find it difficult to score runs at the international level.”
How to tackle loss of confidence? “A fluctuation of confidence can happen to anyone and I have worked hard to get it back. Last game I felt good, stuck to the plan and looked to attack the bowler.
“At least I am feeling mentally clear and confident and I know I just needed one innings to get going which came in the last game. When I am playing well and mentally confident, I don’t find any difficulty playing any bowler in any condition in the world.”
Unfair criticism hurt him when he struggled to make runs in England. Some doubted his batting technique even as some felt it was loss of form.
“The moment I don’t score runs in two or three innings, people start telling me that you are due for a big score and they totally forget the last four-five years of all three formats of the game where I have been scoring consistently.
“I am not trying to show off or brag about it but that is my nature; that is how I like to play my cricket. Every innings counts for me and sometimes I think people need to respect that we are humans and not machines.”
Kohli added, “You will have a bad patch but in those times you get to know the people who actually support you and the people who are ready to rip you apart.
“I have learnt a lot and have seen people change completely. I have heard about it but hadn’t seen it myself. I feel mentally stronger now and I am going to be much stronger. The more I feel mentally confident and stronger, my cricket is only going to improve.”
He also welcomed Ravi Shastri’s appointment. “He is doing what a lot of people choose not to do, that is giving confidence to the team no matter what situation we are in or what kind of opposition you are playing or what format you are playing.
“That I think is the most important thing. Criticising a team or demolishing a team is the easiest thing in the world to do but it is great to have someone who can stand up and give you that confidence.”
Meanwhile the West Indies manager Richie Richardson also looked positive. “During this series, we dominated for 180 overs. We had 20 overs that weren’t good. Hopefully the conditions here will favour us. If that is the case, we will have a successful match.”
