The dismissal of any India batter should ideally lead to dejection among the crowd in any venue. Yet, for a number of years in ODIs, the fall of India’s first wicket has only led to an eruption of joy in every Indian stadium.
It was no different at the BCA stadium in Vadodara on Sunday when Virat Kohli walked out to bat at Rohit Sharma’s fall in the ninth over.
The crowd went into a delirium as the former captain strode out under the lights. For any other cricketer, this might fill him/her with joy. Kohli, however, thought otherwise.
“It is all different timings happens at different games, I’m aware of it, and honestly, I don’t feel good about it. I’ve seen the same thing happen with MS (Dhoni) as well. It’s not a great feeling for the guy walking back. I understand the crowd’s excitement, but I try to focus on what I need to do and not think too much about it,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation.
The 37-year-old has more than one milestone to his name over the course of his 17-year international career.
On Sunday, he became only the third batsman after Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara to cross 28000 international runs. The right-hander said that he did not care about milestones anymore.
“If I am being brutally honest, the way I’m playing right now, I’m not thinking about milestones at all,” he said.
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While Kohli may have played more than 300 ODIs, he was open enough to admit that he had put in a lot of hard yards, over the years.
“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, but I also knew I had to work extremely hard to get where I am today. God has blessed me with far more than I could ever ask for, I look back at my journey with a lot of grace and gratitude, and I feel really proud of it,” the right-hander
Kohli expressed a sense of fulfillment, viewing his career not just as a professional pursuit, but as a rare privilege. He acknowledged that the ultimate reward for his lifelong dedication to cricket is the ability to bring genuine joy to millions of fans.
“I’m extremely grateful. It’s a blessing, honestly. To give so much happiness to so many people just by doing what you love – playing the sport you’ve loved since childhood – what more can I ask for? I’m living my dream, and seeing people smile makes me happy,” he said.
