Feed Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 More... ‘I’d like to achieve some of the things Sachin has’ - I look to play positively, says kohli LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI A TELEGRAPH EXCLUSIVE Virat Kohli in Port Elizabeth, on Friday Johannesburg: Virat Kohli, who has been batting like a dream this season, spoke to The Telegraph at the Sandton Sun, on Saturday evening. He’s the only Indian to register two fifties in the ongoing ODI series. An U-19 World Cup-winning captain, in 2007-08, the spunky Kohli has the potential to make it big even in Test cricket. He’s one who should be watched. The following are excerpts from the one-on-one Q Conditions at St George’s Park weren’t ideal on Friday, but you showed plenty of character... A I took guard in a positive frame of mind and stuck to the basics... The game plan was to put away the bad balls and respect the good ones... I was quite clear that the balls in my zone would be hit. India lost and you were left 13 short of a hundred. A double disappointment? Yeah... It would’ve been great had I got a hundred and had that knock helped India win... In cricket, you never know... The last over may settle the issue. However, it wasn’t to be. You played in the 2009 Champions Trophy in South Africa, scripting a quality knock (79 not out) against the West Indies at the Wanderers... That exposure seems to have helped, isn’t it? Yes, plus having played in IPL II and the last Champions League... It was nice to have got those runs against the West Indies, for the wicket had been bouncy and the ball was doing a bit... This, of course, is a different attack and facing world-class bowlers is a challenge. Is this the toughest you’ve faced? Well, Australia’s was tough in the 2009-10 series at home, but South Africa’s attack is tougher. Also, we’re playing away. Who has been your hero? (Passionately) Sachin Tendulkar... It’s my good fortune that I’ve been able to share the India dressing room with him... Fortunate, too, that I’ve been able to talk cricket with him... I’ve set myself high goals... I’d like to achieve at least some of the things Sachin has... On and off the field, he’s a role model... With him around, one only learns. You’ve been quite outstanding this season. What has made the difference? Don’t think I’ve done anything special... I’ve worked hard on my batting, have learnt to stick to the basics... Indeed, I’ve stopped playing rash shots, at least not early in the innings... I’ve realised that I can make up when I’m set... Opportunities won’t be allowed to pass, but it’s about being sensible... It’s about playing no-risk cricket. Isn’t confidence a factor? Accepted, but I keep my mind free and look to play positively. How did you prepare for this series? I had about a month to get ready... I set out to bat on the frontfoot, for it wouldn’t help if I lacked confidence... I had to adopt an in-the-face approach, make South Africa quickly realise that I’m up for the challenge. No.3 suits you... I enjoy batting at that position... It suits me, for I look to get set first... I like facing the new-ball, when the restrictions are there. I’m grateful to the captain (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) for showing so much faith in a youngster like me. Surely, you’ve now established yourself in the ODI XI... What do you feel? I’m not saying that I’ve established myself... It’s for the management to decide on when and where I play... I’ll be happy to play anywhere, for I realise there are many who’ve played more than me. You add value in the field as well... I do work hard on fielding, too, but the thing about fielding is that you’ve got to feel good on the day. If you aren’t feeling active, then the hours and hours of practice won’t be of help... You must want the ball to come to you. Are you itching for your maiden Test cap? (Smiles) Absolutely. That will be the realisation of a dream. Thoughts on Sunday’s decider, in Centurion... It’s a final, isn’t it? We’ll have to put our best foot forward... We’re on the verge of history and it would be nice to actually make it. Hopefully, we’ll produce our best one-day cricket. Aren’t you tired? I slept for a few hours on getting here and will go back to sleep after this interview! Finally... The World Cup is just weeks away. Are you worried about the pressure of playing at home? At home, there’s always pressure... We’ll have to forget about the external factors and do what we can to the best of our abilities... Thinking about pressure won’t help... People expect India to win the World Cup, but one can’t control such expectations. If we play good cricket, the results will definitely take care of themselves. the KOHLI express Virat Kohli has been in superb form this season. Friday’s unbeaten 87 was his fourth half-century this season, besides two centuries. The following is the list of his scores: 118 vs Australia, VisakhapatnamOct. 20, 2010 105 vs New Zealand, Guwahati, Nov. 28, 2010 64 vs New Zealand, Jaipur, Dec. 1, 2010 63 n.o. vs New Zealand, Vadodara, Dec. 4, 2010 0 vs New Zealand, Bangalore, Dec. 7, 2010 2 vs New Zealand, Chennai, Dec. 10, 2010 54 vs South Africa, Durban, Jan. 12, 2011 22 vs South Africa, Johannesburg, Jan. 15, 2011 28 vs South Africa, Cape Town, Jan. 18, 2011 87 n.o. vs South Africa, Port Elizabeth, Jan. 21, 2011
Ram Posted January 25, 2011 Posted January 25, 2011 Tics is right, this guy is built to be captain of the team. First of all, he's talented. Thats important, because you need your captain to carry his weight as well. Secondly, he has great attitude, is aggressive and goes out there to WIN. Even at such a young age, you can tell that he loves responsibilities. Plus, he has shown that he has the capability to learn quickly and adapt. There was a stretch in the initial stages of the ODI career when he would become set and get dismissed playing rash stroke (most famous example, 2009 Champions trophy against Pakistan). But his game has evolved and his batting is a lot more rounded and risk-free these days. And finally, and this is really important, he has good communication skills and carry himself admirably off the field as well. This is a must-have skill for all captains because not only is he the leader within the team, he is their spokesperson off the cricket pitch as well. The way Anil Kumble conducted himself in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 Sydney test was one of the main reasons why public opinion was so in favor of us after that controversy. In this age of 24 hour news cycle, you need your captain to be a skilled communicator as well.
Feed Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 I am excited about playing World Cup at home: Kohli More... I am excited about playing World Cup at home: Kohli Indranil Basu, TNN, Jan 27, 2011, NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli came of age in South Africa. He always had the talent to make it big but there was this question mark over his temperament -- he came across as an overtly aggressive, impulsive cricketer. His performance in the recent ODI series in South Africa has shown that he has learnt to focus better and to curb his aggressive instincts. His shot selection has improved tremendously and he has matured as a batsman which was apparent when he played in difficult situations against top-class fast bowling. With the World Cup round the corner, TOI caught up with the stylist middle-order bat. Virat talked about his form, his experiences in South Africa and much more. Excerpts: You seem to have hit top form just before the World Cup... I am just trying to do things naturally and am getting more confident with every international match, which is a good sign. These days whenever I bat, I try to play with responsibility and according to the team's needs. I don't try anything extravagant. I hope this confidence will help the team during the World Cup. Your take on India's recent tour of South Africa... If you ask any Indian cricketer, he will tell you that the series was satisfying. The Test team did an excellent job and levelled the series and then passed on the confidence to the ODI side. That helped a lot. On top of that, the players who joined the side during the ODI series had already done their homework and were ready to take on South Africa. Of course, I'm sad we failed to create history by winning the series. I remember the match in which I was batting on eighty odd runs and was very confident about taking the team home. But it rained and we lost the match. The satisfaction comes from the fact that we gave 100 per cent on the field. We fought hard and this series will serve as a huge learning experience for us all. We will surely make amends in the World Cup. Are you nervous about playing the World Cup at home? I am actually quite excited about playing such a big event in front of the home crowd. It's going to be a great experience. We will have the best support base and we will not think too much about the pressure of expectations. I know that there will be a billion plus hopes riding on our team, but the best way to tackle such a situation is to just think about your game and not get distracted by external factors. We cricketers also expect the fans to be patient and to support us during crunch situations. What are your early memories of the World Cup? I remember seeing my first World Cup match in 1996. I clearly remember two matches -- the quarterfinals where India beat Pakistan in Bangalore and the semis in Kolkata where the crowd erupted after India were on the verge of losing to Sri Lanka. Thereafter, I have been following Sachin Tendukar over the years. He has been the biggest inspiration for me. Did the 2009 IPL experience help your batting in any way during the South Africa series? During the 2009 IPL season, the South African pitches were very good for batting. But this time there was plenty of bounce and pace in the pitch. It was actually exciting to stand up and counter the South African pace attack. I enjoyed every bit of it. What are India's chances for the World Cup? Every team has a chance to win the Cup. You can't really predict the winners at this stage. But surely, we will have the home advantage and as I said earlier, our team is in good form. Is Yuvraj Singh's form a worry for the team? Yuvraj is a match-winner and everyone in the team knows that. He is batting well and looked in good touch in the South African series. There are times when you are batting well yet you are not scoring big. You need a lot of luck to score big runs. It has happened with me as well. I got some runs in the ODI series but I got out in the final game. It's practically impossible to score big in every match. So, it's important to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. How serious are you about your bowling? This is one area I am working on.
Sachinism Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Kohli working on his bowling - Watch out world India will have another all-rounder, we can drop another bowler :giggle:
The Outsider Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Kohli working on his bowling - Watch out world India will have another all-rounder' date=' we can drop another bowler :giggle:[/quote'] Along with Dhoni, we would have two bowlers who can reverse swing at 135 kmph. :woot:
pakeeza1990 Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 kohli is the great increament for the india because he is the most talented player from the indian side and his statement shows he will do something for the india in the world cup matches
f.b.m Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Along with Dhoni' date=' we would have two bowlers who can reverse swing at 135 kmph. :woot:[/quote'] Strike rate of 3. Who can argue with that? [ame= - dhoni having ball in his hand[/ame] o/
coffee_rules Posted January 28, 2011 Posted January 28, 2011 Truly MVP of India last year. #2 in ODI ranking. It will be a shame to not play him over cowlashers.. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/india-sa-tour-2010-mvp-srinivas-bhogle-purnendu-maji/20110128.htm As we head into the World Cup, India's three best performers this season have been Virat Kohli (825 runs at a strike rate of 82), Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan. Yuvraj hasn't batted with his customary authority (he has? a strike rate below 70); in fact, he has provided greater value as a bowler with ?his 12 wickets at an economy rate of just 4.9. 13 out of the top 15 have made it to India's World Cup squad. This constitutes a reasonably good correlation with India's current MVP list. Table 2: India's most valuable players in the 2010-11 ODI season (24 matches so far)
Feed Posted February 4, 2011 Author Posted February 4, 2011 Virat Kohli : The Unbreakable More... Unbreakable N Ananthanarayanan, Hindustan Times New Delhi, February 04, 2011 It is one story that is sure to do the rounds of the Ferozeshah Kotla and be narrated much beyond for years to come. It is the tale of a teenager, in his rookie Ranji year in the Delhi lineup, who put aside personal tragedy to pull his team out of dire straits. An act that stunned his own teammates and officials as much as the opposition. Then 18, Virat Kohli was finding his feet as a Ranji batsman in 2006-07 when the hosts found themselves in serious trouble against Karnataka. Kohli battled until stumps but few gave Delhi hope of avoiding follow-on when he headed home amid gathering gloom on that December evening. That night, his world turned upside down. His father Prem Kohli, just 54-years-old, passed away following illness. Braveheart A game of cricket would normally be the last thing on a player’s mind then. But his coach Raj Kumar Sharma was in for a shock. In Australia then, he received a call from a weeping Kohli informing him of his father’s death but explaining about how Delhi badly needed him. “I was in Sydney at that time and I got a call from Virat. He was weeping and told me ‘my father is no more’. Virat also told me he was batting on 40 and whether he should go back to play. “I asked him what he wanted to do. He said mujhe khelna chahiye (I want to play). Then I gave him strength. I told him ‘this is the time to show your character. Go out and play’.†By then his Delhi teammates, and Karnataka, had come to know about the tragedy. To their amazement, they found Kohli was back the next morning. They expressed their condolences and told the newcomer that he could go home and take care of the last rites with elder brother Vikas. Mind power “He was barely 18 and he had lost his father at 4 am,†said Chetan Chauhan, former Test opener and then Delhi coach. “I spoke to Virat and his brother and was told that he was in the mental shape to actually go out and bat.†In the end, Kohli dug in to score 90 and put on a big partnership with Puneet Bisht, who hit a century, as the last recognised pair did enough that afternoon to help Delhi escape with a draw. Kohli then rushed home for his father’s final rites but was extremely disappointed at being wrongly given out, caught behind when his bat had only brushed the pad. “He was again crying when I received the next call, saying he was given out wrongly. That showed his commitment, during such a turbulent time of his life,†coach Sharma recalled. “That showed he was mentally very strong, leaving his father’s body at home, and then rushing to perform the last rites. It shows his tremendous love for the game,†said Chauhan. Bisht remembered how strange it was batting with Kohli, who hardly played a false shot. “In the middle, I just didn’t know how to communicate with him. Should I appreciate or not? He was brilliant that day. Woh aaya, maara, chala gaya (He came, scored and went away).†Early start Kohli had an early initiation into cricket. His father, a businessman, took his elder son Vikas, five years older, and the eight-year-old Virat to Sharma, who had opened a new academy in Paschim Vihar in West Delhi in May, 1997. A few days later, Sharma gave his assessment to the father — the younger son played far better. While Vikas left the academy after some time, Virat went from strength to strength. “He was among the first trainees here,†Sharma said. “He was a different child. He was a very good learner, and developed tremendous power in his shots. He always wanted to spend a lot of time in the middle, and wanted to lead; always wanted to be involved. Normally children are happy to bat for 20-25 minutes. But not him.†A teenaged Virat often came across as an arrogant player but Sharma says it was far from true. “Virat was always a confident child. Sometimes he gets over-confident in his eagerness, that is all.†Like many other players who have made it to the Delhi and India ranks, Kohli also had to face early disappointment. He came to his coach weeping after being ignored for the Delhi U-14 squad. “I just consoled him. Next year, he hit two hundreds at the U-15 level.†Kohli’s appetite for long stints in the middle was apparent very early. He followed up two double hundreds at the U-15 level with two more in the U-17. Blossimg career Sharma was sure from early on that Kohli would make it big. “When he was 13-14, I was talking to BDM’s Pintu Mahajan. I told him ‘give this boy cricketing gear.’ He trusted me, but still asked me what has he played? I told him he will definitely play for the country. He was an India player in the making from the start.†Kohli blossomed rapidly, debuting for Delhi and then leading the U-19 team to World Cup glory in 2008. He was included in the India ODI squad for a series in Sri Lanka when Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag opted out. However, the early success was also accompanied by questions about his attitude. In the first flush of success, especially after the U-19 victory, Kohli came in for criticism, that he wasn’t humble enough. Ray Jennings, his coach at Royal Challengers Bangalore, was once quoted as saying that the youngster, for all his talent, at times appeared to behave as if he was larger than the game itself. Kohli himself admitted last year that he plunged into intense partying and night-outs, but had learnt from his mistakes. “The confidence he got from his initial success in ODIs carried him through that phase when he faced criticism,†Bisht said. His big moment came against Sri Lanka in Kolkata, when Kohli scored his maiden century and shared a huge partnership with Gautam Gambhir to guide India to victory in December 2009. Though Kohli, who is also a brilliant fielder, has established himself in the Indian Premier League — he was the only player to be retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore — his coach gently reminds him that his unwavering focus should be on Test cricket. “Virat was always keen to play in the World Cup and was delighted when he was selected. But I told him ‘you must set your target on playing Test cricket’. “Now he is also very keen on breaking into the Test squad.â€
b555 Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 Century on WC debut Kohli a true legend in the making :hail: what cool nerves and went on normally to get his 100 .....
Sachin=GOD Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 :adore: :adore: :adore: :adore: a legend in the making.
kabira Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 Future Indian Captain. Who else has scored hundred on WC debut??
Cricketics Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 I Told You Guys Long Time Ago.. He Is Our Future Indian Captain.. Leke Likhlo. Agar Abhi Bhi Kisi Ko Shak Hai..
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