Kohli cites Dhoni example in riposte to his critics ahead of RCB vs CSK game
The RCB batter says he doesn't need anyone's "approval or assurance" about his game
RCB's Virat Kohli. Photo: BCCI
Ahead of the crucial IPL 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli has responded to his critics by saying that he doesn’t have to react at all to the noise from outside.
In recent times, there have been questions over Kohli’s strike rate during the IPL 2024. Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was one of the commentators who had questioned Kohli and also slammed the host broadcaster Star Sports for repeatedly showing Kohli’s remarks where he had slammed his critics.
Now, on JioCinema, Kohli was asked, “The noise from the external atmosphere, how do you react to that?”
To this, Kohli replied in Hindi, “I don’t have to react at all. I know what I can do on the ground. I don’t need to tell that to anyone, that what kind of player I am, what are my abilities. I never asked anyone how to win a match (for my team). I have learnt it myself by being in different situations, by failing. This doesn’t happen by chance. Okay, you won one match for the team, or two. But if you are standing there and winning it repeatedly, then it can’t happen by chance.”
Kohli went on to add that seeing a match from the outside and being there in the moment as a player is entirely different.
He also said people talked about “Mahi bhai” (MS Dhoni) as to why he used to take the match to the last over, be it in a 20-over contest or a 50-over match.
“How many matches he (Dhoni) has finished. He is the only person who knows what he is doing. That is called knowing, for me that is muscle memory,” Kohli said.
“He knew he can finish the match if he takes it to the last over. But, my mindset was different. I always used to say, let us finish the game in the 19th over or the 49th over. If he (Dhoni) is with me in the middle, it is different. But if he is alone, then there is no chance, he will take it to the last over,” Kohli added as former India cricketer Suresh Raina stood next to him and watched.
He went on, “I know what I can do on the ground. I don’t need anyone’s approval or assurance that they say ‘you played very well’. I am not interested in all these things, right from my childhood… My currency is only one – performance.”