JOIN USWhen India last played a Test match here in March 2013 against Australia, Virat Kohli was a junior member of an MS Dhoni-led team. Just over two and half years after that match, the Delhi batsman returns to the venue as the captain of the Indian Test side that will take on South Africa.
Kohli, who will turn 27 on Thursday, shared his views on aggression, his conscious efforts to remain calm, his greying beard and the importance of bowlers in Tests. Excerpts.
On being expressive on the field: There has been a lot of criticism about a lot of things in my life. I have never cared about these things. Eventually people can write and say what they want to, it’s their freedom of expression, but when I step onto the field I give my hundred per cent every time. And I don’t need to prove that to anyone else. I need to walk out to the field with a clear conscience and being satisfied with my effort that day. And if I don’t put in the kind of effort, I want to I improve on that.
On changes after becoming captain: I have 40 grey hair in my beard and that’s the only thing that has changed since I have become Test captain. I am the same person that started playing for India, obviously you do make mistakes and you learn from them. It’s not that I find those things very wrong but I thought I was wasting my energies on being too expressive on the field at times which I have started to use it in better places. You only get smarter with age and the amount of game you play at the highest level.
On bowlers holding the reins in Test cricket: Yes, I believe in this because if we have six batsmen and one wicketkeeper then even if you score 500 runs, there will come a session when you will give away too many runs and will not get a wicket if you are a bowler short. So I think the top-5 batsmen should take more responsibility of scoring runs. It’s a combined effort by the team and even if you get 350 and 400 there is a chance of your bowlers picking up those 20 wickets. So you will be on top. I certainly believe that a bowler wins you a Test match. Batsmen can hardly get you a Test match from a difficult situation. If you are chasing a small total then yes, but it’s the bowlers who eventually put you in that position when you have to chase a small total. So bowlers’ role is more important than batsmen in Test matches.
On whether he would play with restraint in a eries named after Gandhi-Mandela, the icons of peace: I think everyone has his own way of working. The greats on whose name this series has been named had their strengths and led in their different ways to become icons. But having a series in their name will not have a bearing on how we will play our game. Our plans, our thinking are very different.