The Virat Kohli of 2015 may have been highly emotive, too in-your-face and aggressive. Ahead of his first big final as captain, though, he resonates a sense of calm
Nagraj Gollapudi at The Oval17-Jun-2017Last week at Lord’s, the Indian High Commissioner had organised a reception for the Indian team. Among those present along with Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble, India’s head coach, were Mike Brearley the former England captain and MCC president, and Farokh Engineer the former India wicketkeeper.The Long Room was filled with the usual din as guests mingled with the Indian players. Amidst this din, the emcee walked around the room talking cricket with Brearley, Kumble and Kohli. Etiquette would teach you stay quiet. The din did not subside. The emcee requested the audience to be silent, but failed. Taking the mic, in a polite, but firm tone, Kohli said: “There is an interesting cricket conversation going on. Can we please listen to that?”
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Kohli has not been afraid to turn attention to what matters, especially since taking over as the Indian captain. Such a trait would keep him calm on Sunday when India take on Pakistan in their first-ever ODI final in an ICC event. Adding to 24,000 sellout crowd at The Oval would be half a billion eyes across the cricketing world, making it one of the most-watched contests in sporting history.We live in a time when too many games come with too much hype, no doubt. But Kohli will be least concerned. He has played in many such high-profile contests, including the 2011 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan in Mohali and the final a few days later. But back then, Kohli was just a player, albeit an influential one.This is Kohli’s first global tournament as a captain. The demands, expectations and attitude vary. Kohli’s gung-ho approach to captaincy when he started was not to the liking of many. He was described as highly emotive, too in-your-face and aggressive. Some pundits wanted him to control his emotions. Some did not mind his bold approach. Kohli did not care.Now, Kohli does care. This tournament, he has brought in a conscious change to his approach and attitude, at least from a distance. His emotions seem much more in check. He has not outstared opponents, or stared sternly at team-mates who misfielded. Instead he has put an arm around both and sorted out whatever the matter may be.As he started his batting in the nets on Saturday, Kohli was beaten a few times by Mohammed Shami and was then bowled by a net bowler. In the past, Kohli would have grunted at least. On Saturday, he just faced the next delivery and got his groove back. Being high strung helps, but not always.This is Kohli’s first big final as captain•International Cricket CouncilOne of the things Kohli is great at, and something his predecessor MS Dhoni rarely did in public, is talking up his players. Kohli has shown belief in his players and stuck to them regardless of form. Take the example of Hardik Pandya. Played as a fourth seamer, Pandya has been the target of the opposition, but Kohli wants Pandya in his team and calls him a go-to man.At the start of the tournament, Kohli’s differences with Kumble trickled into the public domain. Put in a spot, Kohli did not want to talk about the elephant in the room directly. He was smart to put the blame on the media for speculating. At the same time he did not let the debate slip into the dressing room.Kohli and Kumble’s emphasis has been to keep things simple. India’s training sessions, before the first match, which was incidentally against Pakistan, and the final have remained the same. The routines have not been forgotten. The focus has been on maintaining the same intensity.As a captain, Kohli has learned many lessons during this tournament: most of all, to kill pressure and outside noise. Kohli follows simple basics, like not getting distracted by social media during a series or a tournament. “Honestly, it sounds funny, but it is so important to stay away from those things,” Kohli said on the eve of the final. Sportsmen can be accused of living in a bubble, but in high-pressure tournaments like these, switching off can work wonders.When he arrived in England three weeks ago, Kohli said he likes travelling outside India as it lets him walk on the street like a normal man. It allows him breathe easy. “To connect to things that matter, things that a sportsman needs to take care of, connecting to yourself within, taking a bit more time to do stuff which you don’t normally get to do and stay away from everything. It is tough, but you have to make that sort of effort to stay in a good zone and a good mindset.”To the world he might be the frontman, but Kohli has also learned to be in the background as a captain. “To be happy playing second fiddle in a big tournament like this throughout, in all the games to be thinking about bouncing back after a setback. All those things I’ve learned a lot [about],” he said. “And that can only happen when you’re able to connect with yourself first.”If you’re too distracted listening to too many suggestions or criticism, then you can’t focus on what you need to think as a sportsman first to be able to lead the team and then help the others in the team as well. That is probably been the biggest learning: to be able to maintain that balance nicely has been a good thing for me.”As a player Kohli cannot wait for the final. Mentally he is charged up for such contests and expects himself come out on top “eight out of 10” times. “Neither are we too intimidated nor are we too arrogant about what we are doing,” he said. “The more relaxed you stay in these kind of situations, it’s a good thing because it helps you take better decisions when you are composed and calm mentally. You can help the team come out of difficult situations only if you’re thinking in that fashion.”Sunday will be the biggest test of Kohli’ character, of his captaincy, of his decision-making, of his batting. That is, in our heads at least. In Kohli’s mind, it will be just another day. Just another match. He will not let him or India get overexcited or nervous because both do not let you perform.”You have to find a way to deal with it [expectations],” he said. “You can’t ignore it. You have to maintain a balance and then focus on what you need to do on the field. I think I’ve been able to strike a good balance until now. I’m sure I’ll be fine for tomorrow.”
