Former India captain Virat Kohli said adaptability to different conditions is his key to success and it is one of the reasons why he has been able to thrive in all forms of the game over the years.
“No, I don’t think you can always play in the same way all the time. You need to adjust according to the conditions there are in front of you. I think this is one of the main reasons why I have been able to play all formats of games for so long. The adaptability comes from knowing that physically I can do things in many different ways,” Virat Kohli told Rahul Dravid during their chat on BCCI.TV.
Kohli explained why his fitness helps him to adapt quickly.
He said: “Mentally I can prepare to play a certain way or play in another way but if my body won’t support it then I will be found out. So an example would be even in this Test match in these conditions I back myself to run six doubles in an over for a span of six seven overs if the scoring rate needs to be up.”
“It’s not necessary that I would look to clear deep mid-wicket and that is my only option because that brings in the risk as well. That’s why I am able to bat in different situations and bat differently in different conditions because I was able to take ones and twos, and I could do the power-hitting as well.
A conversation full of calmness, respect & inspiration written all over it! 😊 🙌
A special post series-win chat with #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid & @imVkohli at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 👍 👍 – By @RajalArora
FULL INTERVIEW 🔽 #INDvAUShttps://t.co/nF0XfltRg2 pic.twitter.com/iHU1jZ1CKG
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 14, 2023
“For that, you need to have all-round fitness and that is something you need to work on every day. It is not something that can happen over the period of two or three months.”
Kohli said even if conditions are challenging, he would always play according to the situation and will never throw away his wicket.
“If the conditions are challenging and the run-scoring is not ideal, I wouldn’t want to play a bad shot and get out when the team needs me the most. So I always felt like how can I prepare better? How can I find more ways to help my team win the game but in a way that situation demands me to not in a way I preferred to do it.”
Coach Rahul Dravid lauded Kohli and said this is the reason that makes him a team player.
“What a team player you are. According to me playing according to the situation and developing the skills knowing that the team would be put in different situations and challenging yourself. You could have stepped out and hit the six any time you would have wanted, but you realised what the team wanted and played according to that situation. That’s a sign of an absolute champion cricketer,” said Dravid.