Self-belief is the key, says Kohli on his success

 Given the incredible numbers Virat Kohli has produced in all formats of the game, it is hard to believe anyone would doubt the Indian skipper’s abilities.

In the sporting world, many greats have had to deal with detractors during their careers. Likewise, Kohli, who has taken India to new heights with his enviable consistency, revealed that right from the start of his career, there were many who questioned his skills.

“Throughout my career, there were many who doubted the way I approached my game. Even today, there are haters and doubters all around. But I have always believed in myself and that has helped me reach where I am today,” said Kohli after collecting his third Polly Umrigar award here at the BCCI annual awards on Wednesday.

Ranked third in Tests and one-day internationals, Kohli is one of the most feared batsmen in modern-day cricket.

The 28-year-old opened up on how he decided to transform himself to be the best. “It was in 2015 that I realised that if you have to be the best in the world you have to play well in all formats of the game. To fulfill my goals the first thing I did was to not put too much pressure on myself. I decided to go out there in the middle and express myself in the middle. Since then, I have adopted this attitude and it has worked,” said Kohli.

Kohli’s style of aggressive play and captaincy might grab much attention but the Delhi batsman feels his job is to give his best and not bother about the rest. “I believe in giving 120 percent in my game and if I can do that, I feel I am answerable to no one. Whenever there is an opportunity, I want to seize it by winning matches for India,” he said.

As much as he has conquered the game with his batting skills, Kohli has also made a great start to his captaincy stint. “My achievements could not have been possible without my team-mates. As a team, we believe in sticking together as a pack. I always tell my team-mates that if we learn to win together then we must also learn to lose together. At times when a player fails, it is wonderful to see many others stepping up. This is how we have always played,” he said.

Enjoying a dream run, Ravichandran Ashwin has been breaking records. The off-spinner, who received the Dilip Sardesai award (India’s best cricketer in the West Indies series, 2016) said there is still a long way to go before he is in the league of legendary spinners.

“The number of wickets taken by Bishan Singh Bedi and EAS Prasanna are insane and I will have to add my gully cricket wickets to get near them. Stories of Prasanna getting a rope to dip the ball to the batsmen are part of Indian cricket's folklore and I am happy to carry forward the tradition,” he said.