Virat Kohli : I would never ask the players to do what I cannot do myself

Five years after his not-so-memorable debut at Kingston against the Windies, Virat Kohli made sure that his return to the Caribbean will be remembered forever by scoring a magnificent double century at Antigua. Batting at No.4, Kohli took up the responsibility to lead the team to a huge score and made a 168-run partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin to take India to 566/8. Speaking to bcci.tv after his innings, Kohli said that playing five proper batsmen added a bit of pressure, but the batting line-up took the responsibility on themselves to post a huge score.

"Playing five batsmen is a bit of an added pressure on the batsmen but that is what we want to take up as a challenge," Kohli told bcci.tv, after his 200 led India to 566 for 8 in the first innings against West Indies. "The batsmen decided to take up the responsibility. As captain, I would never ask the players to do what I cannot do myself first."

Playing five batsmen is a bit of an added pressure on the batsmen but that is what we want to take up as a challenge. The batsmen decided to take up the responsibility. As captain, I would never ask the players to do what I cannot do myself first."

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The 27-year-old also became the first Indian captain to score a double-century in an away Test, and Kohli said that scoring a double-hundred gave him a lot of satisfaction after missing out on many of them in the past.

"I made my debut here and it wasn't a memorable series for me. Coming back here and getting a double-hundred gives me a lot of satisfaction, purely because of the fact that I have missed a couple of big scores in the past. I know I have the ability to get big hundreds. This is my first double-hundred in first-class matches in general, so this is something I always wanted to do and I am feeling really grateful today that I was able to cross the mark,” said the Delhiite.

On a slow pitch, Kohli scored at a fast pace and made 200 from 283 balls in a bid to give his bowlers more time to take the 20 wickets.

"I backed myself to be positive, backed myself to score quickly because I knew if we had to bowl the opposition out, we need enough time for the bowlers to be fresh again and also have breaks in between," Kohli said. "I had decided in the change room that I am going to go out there, be positive and show intent, and the runs started flowing."

When I go out to bat, I am all by myself and my batting partner. People don't understand that I am actually at a lot of peace when I am batting alone out there because I don't have to interact with too many people and don't have to listen to their expectations or know what they require of me."

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The skipper added that he was at “peace” in the middle and that helped him to score a double-century.

“When you are in the change room, you're interacting with people, you get to know what people are saying and what people close to you expect from you. I think those are the things that give pressure.

"When I go out to bat, I am all by myself and my batting partner. People don't understand that I am actually at a lot of peace when I am batting alone out there because I don't have to interact with too many people and don't have to listen to their expectations or know what they require of me. I can literally reflect on myself, understand what my thoughts and mood are and then work on those things. That is why I always prefer being out there in the middle than getting to know these things from people,” Kohli told bcci.tv.