Very few cricketers have been under as much scrutiny as Virat Kohli. Even for someone with such a strong personality, it can be difficult to escape the constant attention. The way the entire nation obsessively waited for Kohli's 49th ODI century, which would equal Sachin Tendulkar's record, was almost scary. It seemed like the nation was more relieved than Kohli himself when he finally achieved it.
However, pressure seems to motivate Kohli to perform better. He recently gave a glimpse into his mind and how he stays away from the clamour.
“I always wanted to keep my emotions and feelings in control. It is a very important part of my game. So, I keep that awareness ahead of the match,” said Kohli on Star Sports.
A congratulatory message from Tendulkar can still make his heart race and his eyes mist over.
During the T20 World Cup 2022 final against Pakistan in Melbourne, Kohli was overwhelmed by the sight of Rohit Sharma, who is usually stoic, celebrating India's victory with gusto.
“I have played with Rohit for a long time but I have not seen him express so much,” said Kohli.
Kohli played a magnificent unbeaten 82 runs off 53 balls to lead India to a four-wicket victory over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 final. Kohli cited this innings as an example of how he deals with pressure.
The 35-year-old overcame a potent Pakistan pace attack that included Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf to produce a match-winning performance.
“There was no extra preparation to face them because over the years you are used to 140, 145, 150 kmph bowling.
“The only thing you need to do is to get into a mental space and get ready for the challenge,” he said.
Many people saw the T20 World Cup 2022 final between India and Pakistan as a grudge match, after India's loss to their neighbours in the 2021 tournament. However, Kohli said that such thoughts never crossed his mind or the minds of anyone else in the team. This is another example of how Kohli's mind works in high-pressure situations.
“The defeat against Pakistan in 2021 never came to my mind (in 2022). Considering the big human error factor involved in sport, there is no guarantee that on a given day you will win.
“We were winning against Pakistan all those years but on that day, they outplayed us. There’s no shame in accepting that. It was a good reality check for everyone. We can’t play a match thinking we have to avenge a defeat in the past,” he added.
After a prolonged form slump, Kohli announced his return to run-making form with a T20I century against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup in Dubai. His unbeaten 122 helped India win the match by 101 runs, and Kohli said that the performance put him in a good mental space ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“If I was not playing well, then probably, I would have been a bit uneasy. But I scored my first T20I hundred in the Asia Cup and that brought me back into a contented space.
“I was not feeling desperate or nervous. I was just happy that I was able to play at such a big occasion once more,” he further added.
One other person in the team who knew how well Virat Kohli could handle pressure on the biggest stages was head coach Rahul Dravid. Dravid, who is a master at controlling his emotions himself, asked Kohli to speak to the team before the match against Pakistan at the MCG. Kohli's words were a brilliant crash course on how to deal with pressure.
“I told them not to look at the other guy to do the job…think that you are the guy who is going to stay back and finish the job. If the whole 11 can think like that then something special can happen.
“One more thing I told them was that if it is a pressure situation and you feel that you are going to crack, then there is an equal or more chance that the opposition might crack as well,” he concluded.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by PTI)
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