Published: Jan 15, 2019, 01:37 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 15, 2019, 01:37 PM (IST)
On the field, Virat Kohli and teammate Cheteshwar Pujara come across as opposite personalities. While the India captain has never shied away from expressing himself with his in-your-face-attitude, Pujara keeps his emotions in control.
Players might have different personalities but Kohli says that, mentally, they all have the same intensity and having the right mindset is they key in excelling as a team.
“Intensity has very different meanings for everyone,” Kohli told Bcci.tv in an interview. “A Pujara is as intense in the mind as me – he does not show it, that’s a different thing and that’s his personality – a Jinks [Ajinkya Rahane] does not show it because that’s his personality, a [Mohammed] Shami might not show it because that’s just him, a [Jasprit] Bumrah you might see a little bit more or Ishant [Sharma] you might see a little bit more. But everyone is intense in their minds because the culture that’s been laid out is – no one remembers individual performances, it’s a team game, it’s supposed to be played like a team and if you win as a team, you’re remembered as a team.”
Kohli further added that each player brings a certain quality to the table and they have their limitations which is fine by him as long as there is a full commitment.
“[Ravindra] Jadeja runs the fastest – I’m not saying you have to run as fast as Jadeja but why is he running fast? Because he has the right mindset, he wants to save one run for the team.
As long as the mindset is right, within the limitations, I think everyone should be at their 100 per cent and that’s something that the whole team has embraced beautifully. They [players] have understood that they are not asked to be like someone but they have to be the best of themselves on the field to be able to contribute towards the team. I think everyone is in a comfortable and motivated space now,” Kohli said.
Kohli is also a big believer of not being too practical as emotion and passion can spur one to do otherwise unimaginable “special things”
“I don’t like to say things which I cannot do myself, that’s just not my personality. I speak a lot to the team because I personally feel that once your real emotion and the passion of the game comes out, you can do special things that you can’t imagine otherwise.
“If you’re too practical about the things all the time I think that special, unbelievable performance when no one gives you a chance, is very hard to come by. But I think in times where you are on top or the game is in balance, is the time you need to be practical and tactically spot on as well, which I have learnt a lot in this series,” he said.
