Friends no more but Aussies deserve credit: Kohli

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 28

The Australians thought that Virat Kohli’s interaction with the media after today’s win was “explosive”. It wasn’t really that fiery, but Kohli did seem unhappy with the Australian players, and declared that things had changed between him and them during the series. Excerpts from Kohli’s post-match interview:

Ten wins in 13 Tests this season. How do you look back at the season?

It is a very proud moment. Playing good cricket all season, especially in the home season, was very important for a young side... To build a team for the future. Support staff, management and everyone else was working hard on this aspect, so that in difficult moments and situations, we would be able to counter and come back. 

You somehow don’t look as happy as you could be... Is it due to the unfair criticism that the team has been getting?

It has nothing to do with that. It is a classic case of understanding that this is not the end of anything. No need to get over-excited with whatever we have done. We are very happy with No. 1 ranking, but our main challenge begins now. If we can conquer the overseas season, that’s when you will see a broader smile on my face...

What of the criticism that you’ve faced?

Criticism is not in my control. I’ve heard a very wise person tell me that when a person is down, the weak come out to speak about him. It takes courage to talk about someone when they are on top. It is fine, I was targeted individually, and I haven’t done well in this series so opportunities galore for everyone to come out and speak about me, which is fine. When I did well then also people talked about me, when I haven’t done well, obviously I expect people to come out and start saying all sort of things. 

What do you think of the performances of the pace bowlers? 

For sure, it is a very important aspect of our side. We’ve worked hard on the fitness levels of the guys over the past two years and it’s showing. When teams prepare only for our spinners and our fast bowlers come in and bowl those kind of spells, it can really shake the opposition.

India became world No. 1 in West Indies last year. How do you look at it now after all these games?

Yes, because it happened in a flash and we were just one point away from Pakistan at the second spot. That’s why I wasn’t too excited about it because it was a short-term thing. But now I can sit down and be proud of what the guys have been able to achieve since.  

You missed this Test, how was it to sit outside?

Well, I jerked my shoulder four times yesterday, celebrating outside! So that’s how much energy I had and I couldn’t sit in the change room. So it is not nice.... Yes, it was difficult watching from the outside when you have been in the thick of things all the time for past so many years and seasons. 

You said before the first Test that you are really good friends with some of the Australian players. Has that changed during this series?

No, it has changed. I thought that was the case, but it has changed for sure. As I said, in the heat of the battle you want to be competitive, but I’ve been proven wrong. The thing I said before the first Test, that has certainly changed and you won’t hear me say that ever again.

What made Australia such a tough opposition?

I think they had the belief of making things happen in these conditions. That’s something that I sensed in their body language and the way they played their cricket. They believed they could win sessions and win situations and that was the most important thing, and the most challenging thing for us. Whereas teams really lose their morale once they lose a Test match in India, but Australia kept bouncing back and they had the desire to compete throughout...  Their relentlessness and desire to make things happen in these conditions was probably the reason why they kept giving us a great fight to the end of this Test match. So a lot of credit goes to them.