Virat Kohli was full of gratitude after earning his 45th player of the match (POTM) award in Vadodara. The former India captain once again starred. Chasing 301 against New Zealand, Kohli led the way with his 93-run knock. Although he wasn’t able to register a 54th ODI hundred, Kohli managed to cross the 28000-run mark. Becoming just the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the milestone.
Dream come true
In the post-match interview, Harsha Bhogle asked Kohli about winning dozens of POTM awards and matches for India. The 37-year-old showed nothing but gratitude for how much the sport has given to him.
“Honestly, I have no idea. I send it to my mum in Gurgaon; she likes to keep them. If I look back at my whole journey, then it is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I have always known my abilities. I have worked a lot for where I am today. God has blessed me with way too much, and I have a lot of gratitude in my heart. I feel proud,” Kohli said.
The chasing code
The 2-time World Cup winner talked about how he went about it in the middle. Knowing the target was well within reach, Kohli paced himself. He knew a partnership was the way to go and stitched a 118-run stand with Shubman Gill for the second wicket.
“Honestly, the way I’m playing, I’m not thinking of milestones. If we were batting first, I’d have gone harder. The experience does kick in, but the main thing was to get the team ahead and into a winning position. The basic idea is I bat at No. 3, and if the situation is tricky, I try to counterattack without playing outrageous shots. I felt today we can string in a quick partnership in the first 20 balls,” he added.
Love from fans
Lastly, Kohli talked about feeling bad for players batting before him. The entire crowd cheers when they are dismissed, knowing Kohli would come in to bat next. Today, it happened with Rohit Sharma. MS Dhoni, who’s at the fag end of his career, also experiences the same every time he plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But all the love warms Kohli, knowing he can bring a moment of delight for them.
“I honestly feel bad about it (on cheers when the batter ahead of him gets out). I’ve seen it with MS, too. I understand the crowd gets excited. I just try to keep the focus on the game. I feel grateful; it’s a blessing (that people come and watch him). Makes me happy when I see happy faces,” Kohli concluded.
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