Failures do affect me, admits India skipper Virat Kohli

Kohli also reflected on his failure at the World Cup 2019 semi-final.

Virat Kohli is yet to win an ICC event as captain | Getty

Team India under the leadership of Virat Kohli are doing wonders lately, be it in Test cricket or limited-overs format. They are the numero uno Test side for last three years and are few points behind the World Champions England in the ICC ODI rankings.

Read Also: “Best Batsman across all formats”, Vaughan hails Kohli 

Despite such a level of domination, there is one thing missing from the cabinet of Men in Blue. Virat and company have failed to lift an ICC trophy as of now. While India lost the final of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 to arch-rivals Pakistan, they suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the first semi-final of World Cup 2019. 

So, is it something that affects the Indian captain?

"Do I get affected by failures? Yes, I do. Everyone does. At the end of the day, I know my team would need me. I had the feeling so strong in my heart that I am going to come not out and make India go through that tough phase [in the semi-final].

"But then again, maybe that was my ego talking because how can you predict something like that? You can only have a strong feeling or maybe it was a strong desire to do something like that," Kohli told India Today.

Virat once again reiterated that his team wants to leave behind a legacy which others will follow.

"I hate losing. I don't want to walk out and say I could have done this. When I step out on the field, it's a privilege. When I walk out, I want to have zero energy. We want to leave behind a legacy that future cricketers will say we want to play like that," he said.

In 53 Tests as captain, Kohli has led the team to victory in 33 games and has a spectacular win percentage of above 62, the most among current skippers.

Although Virat refused to compare his team with the great sides of past, he said they now know that they can beat any team in the world.

"I think there is still time (to compare). But we are quite excited how we are playing and what the challenges are. Going forward we will be playing New Zealand now. Now the frame of mind is to get to the next series in test cricket. Not like we are finished playing at home let's see what happens abroad.

"We are waiting to play Test cricket. That mindset has changed. Now we know if we play well we can win anywhere in the world. That's a very nice and exciting feeling to have within the change room," Kohli remarked.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 28 Nov, 2019

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