Guwahati: Virat Kohli entered the new year in iconic style – with a century. The former India captain smashed 113 runs off 87 deliveries against Sri Lanka in the opening ODI of the three-match series at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, Assam.
Following his 73rd career-hundred, Kohli has once again hogged the limelight. After the match was over, Kohli had a brief chat with rising star Suryakumar Yadav who was ruling the headlines beforehand for his explosive 112-run innings in the final T20I against Sri Lanka.
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Excerpts of the interview were shared by BCCI on their official Twitter handle. The full-length conversation is available on their official website.
The duo began the conversation by exchanging new-year wishes and then expressing mutual admiration. Kohli took time to applaud Yadav for the commendable knocks he has played in recent times. According to him, the youngster, also known as India’s very own ‘Mr 360’, has changed the dynamics of the game with his aggressive approach. “What you have been doing since last year, I haven’t seen before. You are creating a different template, you are creating a different energy,” Kohli said.
On the other hand, Yadav reminded Kohli, “You ended 2022 with a hundred and started 2023 with a hundred too.”
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In reply, the 34-year-old recalled the tough period he was going through in the last two years. From struggling with his form to rising from the ashes like a phoenix, Kohli revealed the entire story in a nutshell.
He noted that this century would definitely work as a foundation for the rest of the year. The batter looked quite hopeful to continue the rhythm in the upcoming ODI World Cup, scheduled for October-November. “Hopefully, I can build on this knock,” Kohli stated.
Watch: The full interview is available on BCCI’s official website
Kohli then spoke about his recent century. As stated by him, he was playing from the team’s perspective and had to accelerate his innings as “the team needed 25-30 runs more with the dew coming in.” Yadav then requested Kohli to share his journey of getting out of the struggling period.
Kohli stated that maintaining the fans’ expectations was a very intense process for him. Thus, trying hard to meet those massive expectations backfired for him as he was going away from his “own game.” All of this resulted in so much frustration for him which affected his personal relationships.
“It’s not fair on the individuals who support you. So, I had to take on responsibility and put things in perspective,” Kohli explained further.
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