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Virat Kohli: I have learnt most in my life from failures; they have improved me as a person
Team India were knocked out of the semis in the World Cup 2019, but skipper Kohli has taken the positives out of the result
Team India, who had finished first in the league stage of the recent World Cup 2019, was kicked out of the competition in the semis against New Zealand. Though two weeks have gone by since the game, skipper Virat Kohli is still hurting from the loss and feels that his side, who pitched in with consistent results throughout, deserved more. In an exclusive chat with TOI, he shared what it takes to bounce back from disappontment.
“I have learnt most in my life from failures and setbacks. The worst setbacks have not only motivated me but also improved me as a person, made me understand the importance of those times more than the success,” he commented.
“Most importantly, it builds your character because suddenly this thing happens. When your belief is right up there and everyone's playing so well, and suddenly, you know, you've been outplayed. It's very difficult to digest because you know you didn't make many mistakes to be knocked out.
“When you make mistakes, you can point them out and take ownership of that but when you have been outplayed then the acceptance becomes difficult. You wake up and think you didn't do much wrong but we are still out.”
He went on to praise the youngsters from India and admired the temperament that newbies like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill possess.
“To see the number of people coming up and ready with match-winning abilities is something that hasn't happened a lot that consistently in the past.
“They (the young players) are amazing. The level of confidence that they have is amazing to see. As I have mentioned so many times before, at 19-20, we were not even half the players these guys are. Skills have developed because of exposure to tournaments like the IPL. It's the best thing that can happen to a cricketer.
“They are so confident by the time they come here that they learn very quickly from their mistakes because they have already played in front of so many people. But the intent has to be that 'I am using this platform to play for my country'. And I think that these guys are in that zone.”
He also exuded excitement at the World Test Championship, with India starting their campaign against West Indies in a two-match Test series later next month.
“It's very exciting. I think it's happening at the right time for Test cricket. Although you are going to play bilateral series, the meaning and importance are way more. You have to plan for every series. I was excited about something of this sort and now it's coming to life,” Kohli said.
