NZ v IND 2020: ‘He is at his best when he is riled up’ – Gambhir not a fan of Kohli’s 'nice guys' emotion for Kiwis

Gambhir has asked Kohli to be emotionally charged for the second Test against New Zealand.

India lost the first Test  in Wellington by 10 wickets | Getty

Virat Kohli shares a very healthy camaraderie with Kiwi players and it is a very well known fact in the cricket fraternity.

See Also: Kapil Dev shows faith in Virat Kohli; says he can figure out and return to form

Every now and then, the Indian captain expresses admiration for the New Zealand cricketers, especially his counterpart Kane Williamson. In fact, before the first Test in Wellington he had said that if his side were to share the number one ICC Test spot with any team, it will be the Black Caps.

While Kohli has received praises for his kind words and respect towards the opposition, it is something that has not gone down well with former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir.

As per Gambhir, Virat is at his best when he is charged up and India would need him in that mood if they are to level the two-Test series.

In his column for the Times of India, Gambhir wrote, "Sport is a rare profession which can evoke all human emotions, the more apparent ones being happiness and sadness. While these two are the primary ones which form a plot, the rest help build the drama. I am no expert on human emotions but as a sportsperson I have touched all six distinct sentiments at some stage or the other. My closest 'friends' have been fear and anger. I'd like to talk about anger here and how it elevates a performer."

"Let me share a personal anecdote. It was January 2008 and I was leading Delhi in a Ranji Trophy final. It was being played in Mumbai. Our opposition was Uttar Pradesh. I was out for zero in the first innings. I had to cop a lot of criticism about my technique and temperament. I came into this game reasonably focused, as winning the Ranji Trophy was one of my childhood dreams. But I was not as charged up, besides I had a good number of friends in the UP team which left my intensity sub-par. This criticism, led by one of the national selectors, left me extremely angry. It now seems I needed that anger as till then I was not really 'in' that contest. I got a second-innings hundred as Delhi won the Ranji final. I really enjoyed the hundred, including some mocking gestures towards the national selector. So from being disappointed for being criticised to being angry and then being elated after winning Ranji Trophy, the game led me to almost every possible emotion," the cricketer-turned-politician further explained.

In the ongoing tour of New Zealand, Virat Kohli hasn’t lived up to his high standards, scoring only one half-century thus far in nine innings across three formats.

While Kohli registered the scores of 45, 11, 38 and 11 in T20Is, he scored 51, 15 and 9 in three ODI innings. In the first Test at Wellington, Virat made 2 and 19 across two innings.

As the second Test starts in Christchurch from February 29, Gambhir wants Kohli to channelise pain of defeat to rile himself up.

"From a distance it seems Virat Kohli is in a similar situation. He was asked before the start of this tour if saw it as a revenge series after losing to them in the 2019 World Cup semifinal. At the time Kohli replied, "Even if you want to think of revenge these guys are so nice that you can't get into that zone." I am not sure if this part of Virat Kohli really works for him. He is at his best when he is riled up, when he has a contest. Revenge may be an exaggerated thought but I am not sure of "nice guys" emotion either. I think Kohli is wired up to be that emotionally charged sportsperson who can play a cover drive with calmness of a sage and then lead his troops like an animated cheerleader," Gambhir opined.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 28 Feb, 2020

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