Calcutta: Having hit an unbeaten century and guided India to a 5-1 ODI series win against a below-par South Africa on Friday, Virat Kohli said he wants to make the most of every day and make every game count.
Speaking at the post-match presentation in Centurion after hitting his third century in the series and guiding India to an easy eight-wicket win, the captain said: “Obviously, I want to lead from the front and that’s a wonderful feeling.
“I have got eight or nine years left in my career and I want to make the most of every day. I want to make every match count.
“It’s a blessing that I am healthy and getting to captain my country. I just keep my head down so I can give 120 per cent for the team.”
Calling the ongoing tour of South Africa a “roller coaster” one, Kohli credited his wife Anushka for keeping him going. “It has been a roller coaster ride till now. People who contribute off the field and are close to me deserve a lot of credit as well. My wife, who keeps me motivated, deserves a lot of credit.
“She’s been criticised a lot in the past. But she’s one person who’s kept me going throughout the tour. And I am grateful to her for that,” he said.
Talking about his unbeaten knock of 129 off just 96 balls, Kohli said: “It was a day where I felt really good. I was not in the right kind of mindset in the last game, but this is a beautiful place to bat under lights. That was the idea behind bowling first.
“I like being set up for the short ball. It was a blessing in disguise and they kept bowling short. I think the pitch also got better to bat on under lights.”
Kohli praised his team wholeheartedly for the consistency they have shown in the series. “The players have shown great character, especially the two young spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav). Also, Shikhar (Dhawan) at the top and Rohit (Sharma). The way the series went augurs well for us.
“We’re looking forward to the T20Is now, so the tour is not over yet. As a team, we felt we did not play with the right frame of mind in the first two Tests. But in Johannesburg, we made up our mind that we will not take a backward step.
“Playing in that mindset really helped,” he said.
Former captain Sunil Gavasakar while praising Kohli's batting said: “Sharing the dressing room with the likes of Sachin, Sehwag and Dravid seems to have worked wonders for Kohli.”
