*interview writing*
preaper a question for an interview with vorat kohil the captain of Indain circket team
Answers
In the UK we find it hard to comprehend the level of attention and adulation that Indian cricketers, and you in particular, receive in your home country. How do you cope with it?
When England came to India last, Alastair [Cook] asked me the same. Even players who’ve toured many times, it still amazes them how much passion and attention people have towards cricket in India. I said, ‘You just get used to it’. There is literally no other option. You cannot avoid it. I don’t try and fight it anymore. I’ve tried to do that in the past, where I wanted people to understand to an extent what an individual wants in terms of space and just to be able to have a normal life… for a bit! But that is very, very difficult to expect when you have so many people wanting to see you or meet you or are inspired by you. So I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s just something you have to accept. You’re one of the most influential figures in India essentially because, on a most basic level, you’re exceptionally good at hitting a cricket ball. Is that difficult to get your head around?
Ever since I’ve been with my wife we understand the responsibility that we have as known people back home. It’s not only in terms of inspiring people through what I do or she does, but how we portray ourselves as a couple as well, and to set the right example there – to teach people the right things to follow and not worry too much about what people are going to say, because that can be a massive factor back home. We take this as a responsibility of being in the position that we are. Even in cricket now, for me it’s not about what I want to achieve as a cricketer, it’s more to do with how I can inspire the next lot of players. I feel that is more of a responsibility now, and not merely going on the park and hitting a ball.
You play so much cricket, rarely missing matches and captaining India in all three formats. Psychologically, how do you stay on top of things and balance that with other aspects of your life?
I think there’s no limit to what you can do, as long as you’re happy doing it. I don’t believe that if you are busy in life in general that your sport is going to get compromised. A 24-hour day is a long time to be able to do things. Spending time at home is something we really look forward to, then my sport is my priority as well, but apart from that I do a lot of commercials, a lot of businesses as well, which I’m actively involved in. It gives me a sense of working towards something all the time. I don’t feel the burden at all, to be honest. I love having the opportunity to be so busy in life.
How do you relax outside of cricket?
We really enjoy our time when we come to other countries. We get to walk around and that’s very liberating, to be able to enjoy normal stuff like going out for breakfast or to coffee shops, because we don’t walk at all back home – it’s only getting out of our house, into our car and going wherever we want to go, then back into our car to go home. We love pets, so if we see dogs around we play with them. We can literally do whatever we want in terms of buying things or having something but to be able to enjoy and be grateful about life every day is something that we take very seriously.
On August 18, 2008, five months after captaining his country to victory at the Under 19 World Cup in Malaysia, the pudgy teenager touted as ‘the next Sachin’ walked out to open the batting in his first senior international appearance, an ODI in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. It was an inauspicious start for the 19-year-old who scored 12 from 33 balls in a comprehensive defeat.
He would have to wait more than a year for his first ODI century and his ascent to the Test team was considerably slower. Not until a gutsy hundred from No.6 against Australia at Adelaide in January 2012 was his place in the five-day side secured. In the period since, only Steve Smith can match his 23 Test centuries, while Kohli’s limited-overs record is unparalleled in this or any other era.
He has previously described the conclusion of a disappointing 2012 IPL campaign as a watershed moment when he discovered his now-famous work ethic and fitness regime – factors that have been pivotal in his rise to become the best pound-for-pound batsman in the world.
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