Virat Kohli : Initially, people did not like me as such

When Kohli started out as an international cricketer, the Delhi-born batsman faced a lot of criticism for his over-the-top aggression and on-the-field antics. He said, "I won't say it is not a stressful job, however, it is fun. The way I came up in my career is similar. I knew my strengths and weaknesses but people did not like me as such. They were not too pleased with the way I presented myself, the way I was.

“My mistakes were not acceptable. That always gave me a mindset of doing things my way and finding a way to make it work, as there is no one way to do anything. You can have different ways, you can have different style till your intent is good," reported IANS.

Speaking to the media ahead of his inaugural ODI series as the captain, Virat Kohli said, "It is quite surreal. I never thought this day is going to come to my life. When I came to the team, I was always looking to perform, get more opportunities and build a solid consistent career and contribute to the team in winning games.

"I feel everything is God sent. Anything happens to you, happens for a reason and happens at a right time in your life."

It is the hot seat in all different ways such as the attention, the praise, criticisms, all these things come along with it.

Kohli

Kohli had captained the Indian U-19 side to a World Cup win in 2008, but the 28-year-old feels that captaining the senior team is a “whole different ball game altogether”.

"But being captain of India is whole different ball game altogether. As they mention it, it is the hot seat in all different ways such as the attention, the praise, criticisms, all these things come along with it," Kohli added.

However, Kohli has stated that the added responsibility of being a captain has improved him as a cricketer. He said, "But one thing comes along with this is the responsibility and that makes me a better cricketer and a better person as I learn about life through this experiences, so I take it as an opportunity.”

The Indian skipper went on to add that the thought of captaining the Indian team in a World Cup gives him goosebumps. "It is an honor to be a captain in the World Cup if I still (remain) captain of the team that time," he said reported IANS.

Talking about his idol Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli discussed the best advice the Little Master had given to him.

"When I approached him about my game, the advice I got from was to believe in your own game and believe in the way you want to prepare and do not follow someone and that helped and from that onwards, I was really comfortable," he added.

Looking back at his career so far, Virat picked out the most memorable moment he has had on the cricket field. He said, "On the personal ground, the most exhilarating moment was hitting the double century in Mumbai recently (against England) and playing against Australia in Mohali during (2016) T20 World Cup."