For Kohli, all is not fair in rivalry and friendship
11 14 25 8 at Kolkata 2000-01 at Sydney 2003-04 at Delhi 2008-09 at Adelaide 1947-48
at Mumbai 2004-05 at Brisbane 1947-48 at Mumbai 2004-05 at Melbourne 1980-81 PUNE: India skipper Virat Kohli reiterated coach Anil Kumble’s claim stating that his side wasn’t treating the Australian side in a different manner but was more focussed on his team’s strength going into the four-match series. “All the teams we had played were good quality teams. Australia is no different. We are not treating this series different from any others in the past,” he said. “England was a very tough series. To start off with a draw, which wasn’t a convincing draw from our side, it was more of not letting the opposition win from there on. We don’t need to focus too much on the opposition. At the same time we respect them. Last game we respected Bangladesh equally. Every opposition has to be respected on equal terms.”
Kohli further added that he wasn’t thinking too much into why the likes of David Warner and Glenn Maxwell have been praising him ahead of the series; something unfamiliar with previous visiting Australian sides.
“See, I am really good friends with them. But I know where to draw the line of friendship as well. When you step on to the field, I could be playing against my real brother (but) it doesn’t matter,” Kohli said. “So it’s fine, if they had to criticise me, I would have been okay with it, it’s not something coming out of my mouth. So I have no control over it. I don’t know the reason behind it, there might not be any reason; I am not here to speculate.”
He also took on critics who used to lambast him for his overaggressiveness and slam his attitude on and off the field. He thanked coach Kumble for channelling his aggression, but added that he had been working on it himself as well.
“A lot of people lacked patience with me initially. They wanted me to be a 35-year-old matured guy when I was 22, which doesn’t really happen,” he said.
“I have gone through my gradual process. People writing articles or speaking about certain things, that’s their job, I have no control over it. I focus on my game and that’s the priority for me. Anil Bhai channelled it much better in terms of his experience. He was a very aggressive player in his head as well. But he knew when to use that aggression and how to channel it.”
All the teams we had played were good quality teams. Australia is no different. We are not treating this series different from any others in the past. A lot of people lacked patience with me initially. They wanted me to be a 35yearold matured guywhenIwas22,which doesn’t really happen. I focus on my game.
See, I am really good friends with them. But I know where to draw the line of friendship as well. When you step on to the field, I could be playing against my real brother (but) it doesn’t matter.