‘Better to get hit early and hard’
In conversation with Sir Viv, skipper Kohli says he would prefer to get hit by a bouncer early in the innings
NORTHSOUND(ANTIGUA): India skipper Virat Kohli doesn’t mind getting hit, and that too hard, immediately after he takes guard. He feels it fires him up to have a go at the bowler. The world’s number one Test batsman gave his views on ‘chin music’ that became quite a topic of discussion after Steve Smith was felled by a Jofra Archer bouncer during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.
“I always feel it’s better to get hit early on and know the feeling rather than always feeling you might get hit. I prefer getting early on and hard, it motivates me to not allow that to happen again,” said Kohli on ‘bcci.tv’.
“Just that pain to go through your body and be like ‘Ok enough it’s not happening again’,” he added.
Kohli, for once, was an interviewer rather than the interviewee as he chatted with Vivian Richards, the West Indies icon he is often compared to for his fearless approach to batting.
Richards also had his say on the matter. “It’s all part of the game. It depends on how well you come back from these knocks. Before we had little guards around your ribs, you would take a hit and that’s where you would feel and take a count but that’s all part and parcel of the sport,” Richards said.
Kohli spoke of his admiration for Richards, whose temperament, like the Indian, was considered aggressive. “...the greatest inspiration to all of us batsmen, Sir Vivian Richards,” said Kohli as he asked Richards about his journey.
The Caribbean legend highlighted the similarity between the Kohli and him. “I always felt I was good enough to be competing. I wanted to express myself in the best way that I can, I see that little similarity, that passion. There are times when folks would look at us in different ways and say ‘wow, why so angry’?” he quipped.
Kohli asked Richards why he avoided the helmet despite the quality of fast bowling in that era. “I believed that I’m the man. It may sound arrogant but I always felt that I was involved in the game that I knew. I backed myself every time. You even back yourself to get hurt, to take the knocks,” said Richards.
“The helmet I tried felt a little uncomfortable. I felt the maroon cap given to me, I was so proud to have that. My mindset was that I’m good enough to be here, if I get hurt it’s god’s will, I will survive,” he added.
Ahead of India’s opening match of the World Test Championship, Kohli said he believes the tournament will take the standard of cricket higher. “It puts things into perspective a lot more. A lot of dynamics of what’s on the line, all that changes. When you have points to gain, every match becomes that much important. It will bring in more competition, more requirement of concentration, more precise cricket. World Test Championship is going to take the standard of cricket higher,” Kohli said.
When asked about the team combination for the first Test match, Kohli replied that the final XI has not been decided yet, but he believes that the decision will be to choose from the combination of three seamers and one spinner or two seamers and two spinners. “We are still thinking about the combination. We have not taken a look at the wicket as it was still covered. We are very flexible at the moment,” Kohli said.
Before the first Test, India played a three-day practice game against West Indies A. The match ended up as a draw but Kohli said the game proved to be a perfect foil for players as everyone got some time out in the middle. “Everyone looks good and confident about their skill set. As a captain, it looks good when all players are raring to go. Everyone got a decent outing with a bat and ball in the practice game. We are in a good space right now, these kinds of practice games help you in ticking certain boxes,” Kohli said.
In 2018, India had managed to defeat Australia on their home soil. Kohli said that the team needs to build on the success of Down Under and look to keep improving their performances.
The result in Australia came after a 1-4 loss against England in 2018. “We need to continue the good work we did in Australia. In England we learnt that we cannot lose six wickets in a session, every team knows how to take wickets and be precise. If we lose a couple of wickets, we need to show discipline. Test cricket is all about earning the right to play well,” Kohli said.
Kohli scored his first double century in Antigua in 2016 and said Antigua will always be special to him.
He also went on to add that the senior players in the middle order want to take the bulk of the responsibility.