‘People Will Always Have Opinion And Judgements…’: Virat Kohli Responds To Critics Before The Asia Cup

With a century against the West Indies, Kohli surged back into form, but he is aware that there will be more challenges ahead. The demands never end.

Virat Kohli has seen many sky-high highs over his 15-year international cricket career, but he has also experienced some low points. He is used to being constantly watched. He is one of the few sports figures whose own standards have occasionally led to harsh criticism. Kohli discovered when he spent nearly three years without a three-figure score between December 2019 and September 2022 that 60s and 70s aren’t good enough due to the weight of his 76 international hundreds, which are the second-most after Sachin Tendulkar.

The anticipation shifted to ODIs when he ultimately broke the tie with a record-breaking 122* off 62 balls in an Asia Cup T20 match against Afghanistan. He handled that by scoring consecutive hundreds against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but the queries persisted. They cited his dismal performance in Test cricket during the previous three to four years. With a century against the West Indies, he stormed back into form, but Kohli is aware that he will soon face another battle. There are countless requirements and numerous expectations.

Value of self-belief

But no matter what the circumstance, you can depend on Kohli to battle it out. He knows the “value of self-belief and keeping loyal to myself,” as Kohli said, “but what has really defined me as a person is my capacity to stay tough and keep pushing forward, no matter how bad the circumstances are.

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What about the critics, though? They have no impact on Kohli at all. People will always have opinions and judgments, but I’ve learnt to believe in my abilities and trust my gut. All of my successes on the cricket pitch have been fueled by this self-belief.

The former India skipper said he gets motivation from his best performances. He will be a cornerstone of India’s batting line for the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup at home.

“This confidence in myself keeps me upbeat and committed to developing my game… I am motivated by my past achievements and lessons learned. I develop as a player by thinking back on the times when I played at my best and analyzing the areas where I can become better from losses. Every setback serves as a chance for me to grow stronger, he continued.

Kohli’s fitness mantra

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Apart from his batting, Kohli’s level of physical fitness is what most people find impressive. He is still among the best cricket players around at the age of 34. Pushing oneself to the maximum while keeping a good balance between strength training, agility exercises, and endurance training is the secret to achieving that.

“I believe in pushing myself to the utmost while training. I do a mix of strength training, agility training, and endurance training. Building a solid foundation is the key to handling the challenges of the game and avoiding injuries, he said. Of course, healing and rest are equally important. My body needs time to recover from challenging training sessions if I want to perform at my best. So, I make sure to get enough sleep and listen to my body’s needs.”