TOI Sports Desk
Virat’s passion for the game and relentless pursuit of excellence have made him one of the most respected figures in cricket.
Kohli served as the captain of the Indian cricket team in all formats from 2013 to 2022. Under his leadership, India reached the finals of several major tournaments and became a dominant force in Test cricket.
Kohli is among the top run-scorers in international cricket, with over 70 centuries across formats. He has broken numerous records, including being the fastest to 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, and 11,000 ODI runs.
Despite being one of the most prolific cricketers, Kohli has faced periods of poor form throughout his career, as is common with many top athletes. One of the most notable slumps in his career occurred between 2020 and 2022.
Now a video is going viral on the internet where Kohli is talking about overcoming tough times in life.
Kohli says in the video which is filmed during a podcast, “How you react to the times when you are not feeling great and how you ride that wave and accept things the way they are. It’s a very delicate thing to do when you know you’re not doing well and you feel like you don’t want to work, you don’t want to go to practice, you don’t want to work hard in the gym. But you feel like as an individual, you’re respecting all phases of life, and even in your worst times, you are committed to do the hard work, and it’s not based on success. That, to me, is the real game here, because that is eventually God’s test. This is how I look at it and if you’re not up to the test then you are basically not being grateful and not being loyal to the opportunity that’s been given to you.”
Between November 2019 and September 2022, Kohli went through a century drought in international cricket, which was highly unusual for a player of his caliber. This period was marked by frequent starts but few conversions into big scores.
The pressures of captaincy during this phase were significant, and Kohli eventually stepped down from captaincy in all formats for India by the end of 2021, and later from RCB‘s captaincy. The added responsibilities were believed by some to have affected his batting performance.
India broke their 11-year drought for a global title by clinching the T20 World Cup against South Africa in a thrilling final on June 29.
The match culminated in a nail-biting seven-run victory for India, propelled by Virat Kohli’s commanding 76 runs, who had failed to fire throughout the tournament but saved his best for the last and then announced his retirement from T20I cricket.