If not for his timely hundred in Visakhapatnam, the series against Australia, in all probability, would have not gone Team India’s way.
If not for his timely hundred in Visakhapatnam, the series against Australia, in all probability, would have not gone Team India’s way. But Virat Kohli plays down his man-of-the-series winning innings and said he is happy to perform when given a chance.
Unlike the usual aggressive self, Kohli was reticent when he came to city’s cricket nursery, Shivaji Park Gymkhana, to announce the launch of Nike Cup.
A tennis ball cricket tournament, Nike Cup will bring in 512 teams from around the city with the final winners getting a chance to play with players from Team India.
A day after being declared as the man-of-the-series, Kohli got a wake-up call from the Monday morning blues when surprisingly no one from the media had a question for him in the open session. Standing on the small stage after unveiling the Nike Cup logo, the Delhi dasher surprisingly asked: “No questions?” after waiting for around five minutes with a mike in his hand.
Finally, the ice was broken and with World Cup just few matches away, Kohli said he isn’t taking his place for granted. “Surely my innings would be noticed, but I am happy to perform when given a chance and I didn’t play to knock to seal my place in the World Cup side,” Kohli said. The right-hander said he is in the early stages of career and the man of the series performance is just the beginning.
Kohli believed that Team India’s bench strength, going in to the World Cup, is looking strong. “With stronger bench strength, there will be more competition to make the cut and that will only in turn help the team, so it’s good,” Kohli said. When Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are back in the scheme of things, Kohli accepted that he will face competition to retain his place in the final XI. “No one needs to say that they have been match-winners for India for years and they form a crucial part of this side,” Kohli explained.
Looking forward to the series against a-low-on-morale New Zealand team, who were recently thrashed 4-0 by Bangaldesh, Kohli cautioned that it would be foolish to treat them as pushovers.
“They played good cricket against Sri Lanka and you can’t discount them ever. Bangladesh was an exceptional case and surely they would be motivated to do better with us,” Kohli said.
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