Kohli to chart his own path

Virat Kohli held his first pre-Test match press conference as captain and the eloquence and clarity with which he spoke impressed one and all. It was a refreshing change to see an Indian captain address a range of issues without beating around the bush and he made no effort to conceal his joy over leading the country in a Test. 

 
“It is a big moment for me,” Kohli pointed out. “Personally, I have always dreamt of playing Test cricket, now I am getting to lead India in a Test match. It wasn’t expected, there have been a series of events that has led to it. It is good that I captained in the last series back home (ODIs against Sri Lanka). I have that sort of understanding and comfort factor with the guys.

“They respect what I want on the field, which is the most important thing. They have sort of helped me feel quite relaxed about it. I haven’t given it too much thought. It’s just giving them ideas, and making sure I sort of communicate better with them.

It all depends on how well the other 10 play along with me. There is nothing special about one man who has been given a Test to captain. It’s all about what 11 guys do, and as long as they stick to our plans, I am going to look good as a captain. That boils down to that,” he elaborated.

While he is open to advice and a tip or two, the right-hander made it clear he will be his own man once on the field. Being instinctive and aggressive is going to be his mantra of captaincy. “I am personally going to go with whatever my gut feeling is,” he stressed.

“Whatever I feel, I am going to set fields according to that. So you might see things different from what you usually see. I am someone who goes what I feel. It might look funny but (it’s fine) as long as it’s effective. But the intent is going to be aggressive.

That’s something that I’ve played my cricket with and it’s certainly something that I am going to use in my captaincy as well,” he explained.

Belief, Kohli felt, is going to be the key to success and that he is drilling that attitude in his players. “We have plans in minds and we have things that we want to achieve, not hoping to achieve,” he noted.

“I think that’s where we are trying to make a change as I have been pointing out for a while now that we have come here with the mindset of winning the series rather than going out there and seeing what happens. That’s not an option because unless you believe in something you are not going to achieve it,” he said.