“You have to realise life is way bigger than cricket”: Virat Kohli

India’s semi-final exit from the 2019 World Cup was arguably one of the biggest heartbreaks in recent times. And at the helm of it all was the skipper, Virat Kohli. India were touted as favourites to win the title, but with one bad day at the office, the dream was all over. It was hard on the players, but it was harder on the captain who was fiercely leading his team to glory.

In an exclusive interview with The Times of India, captain Kohli opened up about dealing with the heartbreaking loss, the mood in the Indian dressing room, the rising levels of fitness, and life beyond cricket, among other things. Here are the excerpts:

On the Disappointment of World Cup exit

“I have learnt most in my life from failures and setbacks”, he said. “The worst setbacks have not only motivated me but also improved me as a person, made me understand the importance of those times more than the success.”

“It’s very difficult to digest because you know you didn’t make many mistakes to be knocked out. When you make mistakes, you can point them out and take ownership of that but when you have been outplayed then the acceptance becomes difficult. You wake up and think you didn’t do much wrong but we are still out.”

But the captain insisted that it was important for the team to acknowledge and be proud of the way they played.

“The moment you start taking credit away from what you’ve done, you start putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.”

On the mood in the Indian camp

Talking about youngsters like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, Kohli said that the level of confidence they have is “amazing”. They have developed far superior skills with more exposure thanks to the IPL. He also said that they learn quickly from their mistakes and are using IPL’s platform to play for the country.

“As friendly as I am with Kuldeep (Yadav), I am the same with MS (Dhoni). The atmosphere is such that anyone can say anything to anyone”, he said, when asked if there’s ever been the need to be harsh on them in the dressing room. 

“Your career improves by two-three years. I believe in empowering people. I believe in giving them space to express themselves and when they come to a stage when they feel jumbled, then I’ll have a conversation.”

On India’s ‘Fitness Revolution’

When asked about the ‘fitness revolution’ spreading rapidly in the Indian dressing room, Kohli said he worked on his fitness first because he didn’t want to be left behind. He credited trainer Shankar Basu for pointing out the importance of fitness to compete with the world’s fittest cricketers on the international stage. Basu’s arrival in India’s training setup eventually led to a glaring rise in the players’ fitness levels, Kohli said. He also added that he doesn’t tell any player what he should do, but gives his 120 percent at the gym and during practice.

“The way world cricket was going, I realised that if I stick to my ways and be stubborn about it then I’ll never improve. I was doing my own thing on the sidelines and started seeing results.”

Thoughts on the Test Championship

“It’s very exciting. I think it’s happening at the right time for Test cricket. Although you are going to play bilateral series, the meaning and importance are way more. You have to plan for every series. I was excited about something of this sort and now it’s coming to life.”

The skipper has always openly spoken about his life after cricket, stating that it is not the only thing that defines his entire life.

“Eventually, you have to realize that life is way bigger than cricket. Cricket is everything to a professional cricketer when they are at that moment. Eventually, my goal in life is giving the same kind of upbringing that my wife and I had to our family. Those things become your priorities. You have to understand that this is going to end one day.”

Inspiration beyond the cricket field

It’s not just the cricketing world that Kohli is leaving his marks on. The philanthropic cricketer has taken it upon himself to support Indian athletes at the upcoming Olympics through the Virat Kohli Foundation. According to Kohli, VKF has pledged at least 2 crores per year to support inductees of the Athletes Development Programme. From food and nutrition, access to the latest training equipment, best coaches and physios, the programme will take care of all their needs and monitor their progress. The foundation is currently supporting 17 athletes across different sports such as tennis, swimming, golf, boxing, basketball and more.