'I want to win India the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup' : Virat Kohli

[MenInG]

Former India captain Virat Kohli revealed his motivation for continuing to play cricket despite a poor run of form.

Kohli, who last scored a hundred in any format in November 2019, was candid about his ongoing struggles in a Star Sports interview.

He has also had a poor IPL 2022, averaging just over 20 after his 73 against (54) against the Gujarat Titans, with a tournament strike rate of 118.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri had suggested the star batter to take a break saying that he was "overcooked." Acknowledging Shastri's and other former cricketers' concerns, Kohli hinted that he is open to the idea of stepping away from the game.

"It's not a lot of people who mentioned it (taking a break)," Kohli said. "There is one person precisely who has mentioned it which is Ravi bhai and that's because he has seen from close quarters over the last six-seven years the reality of the situation that I have been in.

"The amount of cricket that I have played and the ups and downs and the toll that it takes on you to play three formats of the game plus the IPL for 10-11 years non-stop with the seven years of captaincy in between..."

"It is definitely a thing that one needs to consider because you don't want to do something which you are not a part of 100% and I have always believed in that in my life," he added.

"So to take a break and when to take a break is obviously something that I need to take a call on, but it is only a healthy decision for anyone to take some time off and just rejuvenate yourself mentally and physically."

In our new show, The ICC Review, Ponting pays tribute to Virat Kohli and reveals the conversation he had with India’s former skipper before his shock captaincy call.
However, Kohli believes that such a decision is not to be taken lightly and he will mull over it only once he has discussed the situation with the team management and India head coach Rahul Dravid.

"It's a very healthy thing to think of especially with the amount of cricket that we play nowadays and the amount of cricket that I have played in the last 10-11 years as I mentioned.

"It's only a thing of creating a balance and finding that balance which is right for you as an individual moving forward and I'll definitely discuss this with all the people involved - Rahul bhai, the Indian team management, everyone to chart out whatever is best for myself and for the team definitely."

Kohli also added that he is not bothered by the setbacks and has learned a lot from this 'phase' of his life.

"This phase for me is the easier phase to process but I don't want to put this behind me. I want to learn from it and understand that what are the core values that I have as a sports person and as a human being. As long as I'm ticking those boxes... I know these are ups and downs and when I come out of this phase I know how consistent I can be.

I know how motivated I will be once the scores start coming to make sure it's one after the another. I know that I have that drive in me to go back to back to back, which motivates me more as I mentioned in contributing towards my team's cause and making my team win. So these things drive me and propel me way more than the setbacks that I have."

During the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2016, Mohali was host to a Virat Kohli masterclass.

"And I am happy with who I am and how I am leading my life. If I start valuing myself with my [on-field] achievements then these achievements are not going to be possible after a stage where I stop playing the game anyways, so where will I get that validation from?

"So I have started to value myself way more as a person and I'm not finding any source of encouragement or disappointment by what happens on the field. In the heat of the moment, in that moment, because you are a competitive sportsman and it is your profession, it is something that you prepare very well for, you feel disappointed when you are not able to contribute to the team's cause as much as much as you want to.

"[But] this is not about myself. This is about the fact that I have not contributed to my team's cause as much as I would have wanted to, or I pride myself on."

Questioned about his plans after the IPL, Kohli expressed his desire to help India win the two major tournaments this year.

"I want to win India the Asia Cup and the [T20] World Cup; that's the motivation," he said.

"I have to move forward maintaining a balance, get some rest, some rejuvenation, once I'm in the mindset then there's no looking back and [it's] great fun. My main aim is to help India win the Asia Cup and the World Cup and for that I am ready to do anything for the team."

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2623885

[Rana]

So the Asia cup matters now?

[Ab Fan]

We will smash Pakistani bowlers in Asia Cup.

Scoreboard would be :-

India 251/2(20 overs)

Rohit 78(34)
Rahul 91(47)
Kohli *51(32)
Pant *21(7)

Shadab 2-59

Pakistan 83 all-out(15.4 overs)

Rizwan 38(43)
Fakhar 12(11)
Babar 8(13)

Bumrah 5-13

[Hextro]

We will smash Pakistani bowlers in Asia Cup.

Scoreboard would be :-

India 251/2(20 overs)

Rohit 78(34)
Rahul 91(47)
Kohli *51(32)
Pant *21(7)

Shadab 2-59

Pakistan 83 all-out(15.4 overs)

Rizwan 38(43)
Fakhar 12(11)
Babar 8(13)

Bumrah 5-13

You're being a bit conservative with your prediction. A more likely outcome would be the following.

India 714/1(20 overs)

Rohit 0(1)
Rahul 360(60)
Virat 354(59)

Shaheen 1-138

Pakistan 0 all-out(2.4 overs)

Rizwan 0(1)
Fakhar 0(1)
Babar 0(1)

Bumrah 10-0

These results have been complied by analyzing last year's T20 world cup.

[MenInG]

So the Asia cup matters now?

I dont recall VK saying it didnt.

Its the followers who have issues.

[Rana]

I dont recall VK saying it didnt.

Its the followers who have issues.

But most Indian fans here say it doesn’t matter.

[Rajdeep]

Asia cup is my favourite tournament after ICC events.

Where are all the posters who say Asia cup is meaningless and should be removed from calendar?

Hear hear...what King Kohli himself has to say about it.

[silentkiller187]

We will smash Pakistani bowlers in Asia Cup.

Scoreboard would be :-

India 251/2(20 overs)

Rohit 78(34)
Rahul 91(47)
Kohli *51(32)
Pant *21(7)

Shadab 2-59

Pakistan 83 all-out(15.4 overs)

Rizwan 38(43)
Fakhar 12(11)
Babar 8(13)

Bumrah 5-13

I hope so for Indias sake after the T20 world cup drubbing handed out by Pakistan.

[Shaddy86]

We will smash Pakistani bowlers in Asia Cup.

Scoreboard would be :-

India 251/2(20 overs)

Rohit 78(34)
Rahul 91(47)
Kohli *51(32)
Pant *21(7)

Shadab 2-59

Pakistan 83 all-out(15.4 overs)

Rizwan 38(43)
Fakhar 12(11)
Babar 8(13)

Bumrah 5-13

152-0 still feels better and we're not even daydreaming.

[CrIc_Mystique]

Off course he'd say what he said. What do you think he'd say "We r here for the scenery and hope our guys dont get toasted every time we step on the field 152-0 notwithstanding" the headline is a real cringe but has done the job of winding up the regulars who were absent with the whole 'Big 3' theme when Aus toured pak...or maybe NZ is the latest entrant to the 'BIG 3' club responsible for every evil and every country's ranking on every top 10 in the world of cricket?

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

We will smash Pakistani bowlers in Asia Cup.

Scoreboard would be :-

India 251/2(20 overs)

Rohit 78(34)
Rahul 91(47)
Kohli *51(32)
Pant *21(7)

Shadab 2-59

Pakistan 83 all-out(15.4 overs)

Rizwan 38(43)
Fakhar 12(11)
Babar 8(13)

Bumrah 5-13

I saw a similar post by someone else here just before our match against Pakistan in the last T20 WC.

[Mamoon]

We got lucky with the toss which was a massive factor in the last WT20. We would have been eliminated in the group stage if we would have batted first.

India is still a vastly superior team and should beat us 9 out of 10 times.

[shamaan]

We will smash Pakistani bowlers in Asia Cup.

Scoreboard would be :-

India 251/2(20 overs)

Rohit 78(34)
Rahul 91(47)
Kohli *51(32)
Pant *21(7)

Shadab 2-59

Pakistan 83 all-out(15.4 overs)

Rizwan 38(43)
Fakhar 12(11)
Babar 8(13)

Bumrah 5-13

India are not scoring more than 190 against Pakistan in the Asia cup.

[topspin]

We got lucky with the toss which was a massive factor in the last WT20. We would have been eliminated in the group stage if we would have batted first.

India is still a vastly superior team and should beat us 9 out of 10 times.

Not so long ago, it was 8 times out of 10. Now it's 9, which I find bizarre given how their 2 best players (Rohit and Kohli) are going through a lean patch.

I would say 7 out of 10 max.

[arif_2021]

We got lucky with the toss which was a massive factor in the last WT20. We would have been eliminated in the group stage if we would have batted first.

India is still a vastly superior team and should beat us 9 out of 10 times.

Sure So e advantage but not enough for 152-0

[Rajdeep]

Sure So e advantage but not enough for 152-0

Sure Pakistan played very well in that game but its tough to pick wickets under lights in Dubai. Not sure why you guys forget what happened in last Asia cup in the same venue? In the 2nd Ind-Pak game when Ind was batting under lights....Pak also failed to pick a single wicket and India only lost 1 wicket when Shikhar Dhawan ran himself out. That was an ODI and not even a T20 game.

[Major]

Where are the indians fans who said asia cup didnt matter

[Mesozoic]

Lmao.

This has the "I promise you I will bring back the big beautiful Champions league trophy to Camp nou" vibes to it.

Asia cup probably, but with this team, we should be happy with another semi final exit at the T20 wc. Half of the playing XI are mental midgets and the other half are either average or unproven. No hopes whatsoever in a format like T20.

There are more chances of us winning the World Test championship and the home World Cup next year than winning the two T20 titles this year.

[Mesozoic]

Where are the indians fans who said asia cup didnt matter

Why would indian fans belittle Asia cup when it's the only multinational tournament we won in the last decade? Obviously, it's not quite up there with the World cups or the CTs, but still it does "matter".

[Hassaan HS]

Always Love The Confidence Level Of Virat Kohli .

People: Big match on Sunday. You're nervous, right?

Me: pic.twitter.com/HXDWeKrYFR

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) October 21, 2021

[arif_2021]

Sure Pakistan played very well in that game but its tough to pick wickets under lights in Dubai. Not sure why you guys forget what happened in last Asia cup in the same venue? In the 2nd Ind-Pak game when Ind was batting under lights....Pak also failed to pick a single wicket and India only lost 1 wicket when Shikhar Dhawan ran himself out. That was an ODI and not even a T20 game.

sure, but indian players had experienced almost 2 months worth of IPL in UAE prior to WC T20...that was the "advantage" right? walking into and beinh heavy favorites for the WCT20?

Pakistan just showed up and played their game without any real practice.
India was pre-game favorite, but shaheen completely destroyed the batting. the game was won in the first three overs with wickets under power play. there was no due or any other environmental factors. it was all shaheen - so lets not take credit away from his performance.

dew only became an issue in 16th, 17th over when kohli made the wrong call and gave the over to shami instead of bumrah. in that over, rizwan finished off the game.

go watch the game if anyone is not privy to actual facts of the game.

the last asia cup was also a very weak pakistani team..

indian team is now in decline, with aging rohit and kohli completely out of form...dhawan is no where near the team...
still no reliable # 4...maybe iyer, but sky- BUT they're still not big names
only star is bumrah and maybe pant. jadeja is injured
Pandya is not going to play if he does not bowl..,


really...the core of indian team looks mis-managed. kohli was doing great when he was in form, but he never worked on actually building a consistent team like dhoni... there is a lot of uncertainty in indian team. maybe rohit will be different.

KL Rahul maybe an ipl legend but he has not done anything significant at the big stage when it matters. i still remember his dismissal against NZ in WC SF - his dismissal was the ugliest and showed no confidence.

Pakistani team on the other hand has a very good core with rizwan, babar and shaheen...so it will not be the same.

152-0 is a statement, just like the CT final...

[Rajdeep]

sure, but indian players had experienced almost 2 months worth of IPL in UAE prior to WC T20...that was the "advantage" right? walking into and beinh heavy favorites for the WCT20?

Pakistan just showed up and played their game without any real practice.
India was pre-game favorite, but shaheen completely destroyed the batting. the game was won in the first three overs with wickets under power play. there was no due or any other environmental factors. it was all shaheen - so lets not take credit away from his performance.

dew only became an issue in 16th, 17th over when kohli made the wrong call and gave the over to shami instead of bumrah. in that over, rizwan finished off the game.

go watch the game if anyone is not privy to actual facts of the game.

the last asia cup was also a very weak pakistani team..

indian team is now in decline, with aging rohit and kohli completely out of form...dhawan is no where near the team...
still no reliable # 4...maybe iyer, but sky- BUT they're still not big names
only star is bumrah and maybe pant. jadeja is injured
Pandya is not going to play if he does not bowl..,


really...the core of indian team looks mis-managed. kohli was doing great when he was in form, but he never worked on actually building a consistent team like dhoni... there is a lot of uncertainty in indian team. maybe rohit will be different.

KL Rahul maybe an ipl legend but he has not done anything significant at the big stage when it matters. i still remember his dismissal against NZ in WC SF - his dismissal was the ugliest and showed no confidence.

Pakistani team on the other hand has a very good core with rizwan, babar and shaheen...so it will not be the same.

152-0 is a statement, just like the CT final...

No one is taking any credit away from Shaheen but its a fact that defending a total is almost impossible in Dubai. Pakistan also couldn't defend their total against Australia in the semi finals.

And Lol at Pakistan team was weak in Asia cup 2018. They were pre tournament favourites coming from highs of CT win in 2017 and also a tri series win featuring Australia. It was actually the Indian team which was weak with no Virat Kohli and middle order consisting of Rayudu-Jadhav-Dhoni. But India went onto win both the games easily as batting got easier under the lights. Pak had bowling attack of Amir-Shaheen-Hasan-Faheem-Shadab in that 2nd game but failed to pick a single wicket should tell you the story.

India is not in a decline but we were NEVER good in T20 cricket. The genetics of Indian players are not made for T20 cricket. We cant produce hitters like Livingstone, Tim David, Gayle etc. It for this very reason we have not won T20 WC since its initial season where other teams were still catching up.

Had our overall cricket was in decline we would not have won test series in Aust/Eng.

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Always Love The Confidence Level Of Virat Kohli .

People: Big match on Sunday. You're nervous, right?

Me: pic.twitter.com/HXDWeKrYFR

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) October 21, 2021

More like overconfidence these days. And this is the reason behind his downfall.

[shamaan]

More like overconfidence these days. And this is the reason behind his downfall.

Don't agree with that.