Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Here’s how Ronaldo has inspired Virat Kohli

- Agencies sportsdesk@hindustant­imes.com

NEW DELHI: India Test skipper Virat Kohli said on Sunday that he takes inspiratio­n from Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, whose work ethic is something that he wants to emulate.

“I take a lot of inspiratio­n from Cristiano Ronaldo. The way he has stayed on top for so many years, it’s nothing but down to hard work. I have heard he is the most hardworkin­g footballer in the world and that’s why he is where he is. Messi is a freak (genius) but this guy (Ronaldo) is giving him run for his money because of his hard work.”

Every individual has flaws but the ones who can successful­ly work around their chinks, can attain high level of consistenc­y desirable from a top quality cricketer, feels Indian Test captain Virat Kohli.

With 1215 runs in Tests and over 2500 plus runs across all formats in 2016, Virat has been a standout performer for India and he feels that it’s about knowing his game better.

“It can be put down to understand­ing my game a lot better than I used to. Being happy with the ability I have, the sort of drawbacks that I have. I understand my flaws and strengths nicely,” Kohli told ecb.co.uk during an interactio­n.

“It’s also about finding the right balance. People talk about not having flaws and it’s wrong. Everyone has flaws and consistenc­y is nothing but overcoming those flaws and finding the ability to score runs in Test format, especially which I wanted to find within my game. I feel in happy space knowing exactly where my game is going,” said the dashing batsman.

Kohli said that pressure of performanc­e is something that he has embraced as one can’t run away from it. “It’s about how you perceive that situation. It’s very similar when you go out to bat. Either you see four slips standing at the back or you see the boundaries only.

“The external pressure, I have started enjoying it rather than running away from it because if I run away from it, it may come back to hound me and catch me and put me down to a level that I can’t imagine. So I have to take it along with me and find a way to deal with it.”

 ?? GETTY IMAGES ?? Virat Kohli was Manofthe Series against England.
GETTY IMAGES Virat Kohli was Manofthe Series against England.

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