Virat Kohli: 'People Should Allow Cricketers Their Space'

After a gruelling tour to South Africa, in which India made a strong comeback after losing the first two tests, Indian captain Virat Kohli is enjoying a well-deserved break.

- Neeru Bhatia & Gurvisha Ahuja

He sat down for an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, in which he spoke on a range of issues including his batting and captaincy, his peers, the legends of the game, his love for watches and privacy concerns of cricketers. Excerpts:

Your coach Raj Kumar Sharma used to discourage you from playing the flick. It is now your trademark shot.

I think it was because I was not technically that strong in my early days, and the flick used to get me into trouble quite a bit. But, as I kept working on my game, my technique became better, and I understood better when to play it and when not to. That is how I am executing it better. I have always loved playing the flick, but, obviously, he wanted me to cut down the risk so that I could be more consistent. After a point, when I understood that I could be more in control of it, I started playing it more often.

Is it your go-to shot now?

Not really. I don’t depend on any one shot particularly. It depends a lot on how the bowlers are bowling and the situation of the game.

After watching you in the recent South Africa series, Sir Viv Richards said you were far better than he ever was.

I don’t read these things (laughs), but someone told me about it. I was quite embarrassed to be very honest, because I know that is not true. He is just being nice. I know how he used to play his cricket, the kind of courage he played with. So, I really don’t know what to make of these things. Some of these players are the most iconic ones in the sport. It makes me feel most grateful for where I am, but I won’t say I am over the moon. It should not be something that I should be working towards. Obviously, it is part of a journey. But, I feel very grateful that people of that stature can look at my game and say these things.

What have you learned from the legends of the game?