It’s been a challenging year for the team, says Virat Kohli

India started their year with an extremely competitive Test series in South Africa which they eventually lost 2-1 and then followed it up with a phenomenal 5-1 win in ODIs and a 2-1 win in the T20I series. Next came the Nidahas Trophy, lone Test against Bangladesh, T20I series against Ireland and England, all which were won by India. The Virat Kohli-led side was completely blown away by England in the ODIs and the Test Series but they made sure it was an aberration by winning the Asia Cup, series of all three formats when they hosted the West Indies and even followed it up with a historic win in Australia in both the one-dayers and the longest format.

They even defeated New Zealand 4-1 in one dayers at their home but succumbed to a surprising defeat in the limited over series against the Kangaroos at home, their last assignment before the upcoming World Cup. The skipper Kohli has reckoned that he is proud of the team.

“It's been a challenging year and one that has left us very proud of the way we carried ourselves. To head to the toughest of destinations with a young but fiercely proud bunch was amazing. That's precisely how we have approached every big series that we played between January 2018 and now. We were very clear about what we wanted to do as team and where we want to head,” he said in an interview, reported Cricbuzz.

“(Personally the most rewarding thing was) what can you do for the team at that particular time. So, from that point of view, it was about leading a young but competitive side that was only beginning to come together at the start of 2018 for what was going to be a long journey. Just playing the game alone wouldn't do. There had to be an equal amount of focus on all factors surrounding the game and as captain, the onus was on me to throw the first hat in the ring,” he added.

Kohli had amassed 1202 runs at 133.55 in 14 ODI innings with six centuries in 2018 and has smashed 611 runs in this year’s 11 innings thus far, with three more centuries. He has been no slouch in Tests as he has scored 1345 runs in 25 innings and five centuries since the start of 2018. This has ensured that all the spotlight is on Kohli but he reiterated that his focus is only on playing as long as possible.

“I never thought that one day so many people will get inspired by what I do. My priority was to play for the Indian team for as long as possible. That stays my priority even today and shall continue to be. Honestly, these things are very organic. The one fact which continues to remain is that everything about my career, my life, on the field, off it, my heart has been in the right place,” expressed the 30-year-old.

The India skipper has proven that channelling aggression in the right place can do wonders. The ‘run machine’ is very expressive in the field and is known to have a never said die attitude and when asked about the same, he asserted that he cannot be calculative about such things. 

“I can never be a person who is calculated in what I want to do. My intent, always, is to do what I'm supposed to do at a given point in time - the right thing. I'm not going to be the guy who spends time thinking what others are thinking about me. I'm not saying this in a way where I offend anyone. That's not how I'd like to convey this. There are people who're going to like what I'm doing, and others who're not going to like what I'm doing. As much as I can't make everyone happy, it's not like everybody in this world is against me either. So, it's all a part and parcel of what you do,” Kohli signed off.

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