Virat Kohli on Why Test Cricket Is His Favourite Format: It Is ‘A Representation of Life, Has Improved Me as a Person’

Virat Kohli in an Instagram live interview session with Kevin Pietersen revealed that Test cricket is his favourite format as to him it is a ‘representation of life.’ The small details, the patience to score big and the praise that is reserved for every run, every milestone is what makes Test cricket complete said the Indian captain during the live session with Pietersen. Kohli also spoke about the burden of playing too much cricket and the pressure it has on the mind, why RCB despite signing some of the world’s best players is yet to win an IPL time and on how turning vegetarian has had an effect on his life. The 31-year-old is currently in quarantine with wife and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. Why is Virat Kohli Called Chiku? Here’s the Story Behind Indian Cricket Team Captain’s Nickname.

Asked on the favourite form of cricket, Kohli chose Test cricket and said that “Test cricket for me is a representation of life. Playing Test cricket has made me a better person.” The Indian skipper has always maintained the importance of Test cricket for the survival of cricket itself and also for the growth of young cricketers. Recently Kohli, the first Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia, had quashed all claims of making Test cricket a four-day format instead of the traditional five-day Test match. Virat Kohli Speaks About Why RCB Has Not Won IPL Title During Live Instagram Interview Session With Kevin Pietersen.

The Indian skipper also mentioned that the England tour of 2014 was the lowest point of his career. Kohli averaged just 13.40 in that four-match Test series in England with the highest score of 39 in 10 innings. He was dismissed by James Anderson four times in the series with England great Geoffrey Boycott famously quoting that “James Anderson ate Kohli for breakfast every day.” Recalling that tour Kohli said: The England tour in 2014. There is a time as a batsman when you know you will fail and you will not get runs. I used to wake up and know I would fail.

“It was the worst I have ever felt. It was tough. I promised myself that I will never allow me to let that happen to myself. It happened because I was so consumed about doing well from a personal point of view. I just felt I was in England and this was Test cricket and if I score runs here then I will establish myself. I was consumed by all that crap and that led to my downward spiral.”

Kohli has so far represented India in 84 Test matches and has scored 7,2020 runs that include 27 hundreds and 22 half-centuries. He has been the captain of the Indian team since 2014 and is the only Indian captain to win a Test match in South Africa, England and Australia in the same year. Under Kohli India also became the World No 1 Test ranked side.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 02, 2020 09:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).