TBT: Virat Kohli's 2007 Interview

Brut India

Virat Kohli, all of 19, minced no words when asked about the composition of the Indian team for the 2007 World Cup. #tbt

Transcript

00:00The Indian team is very talented, I think.

00:02The batting line-up is considered the best in the world on paper,

00:05but the matter is how they perform in the field.

00:08The bowling line-up is also very good.

00:10They are very good bowlers.

00:12They have a lot of talent.

00:13Like Munaf, Zaheer, Srisanth, all of them are young

00:17and they have gained a lot of experience.

00:20So there are a lot of chances for India to win.

00:21Do you think the Indian team is balanced?

00:23If we talk about batting and game-play,

00:26do you think there is a balance in the Indian team?

00:29Yes, the Indian team has a good balance.

00:32That's why they have taken care of their bowling and batting.

00:37The matter is how they gel up in the field and perform as a unit.

00:41Virat, I would like to know from you,

00:43last season, Virender Sehwag made the team in April 2005,

00:47almost two years ago.

00:49In this case, you are taking them to big tournaments like the World Cup.

00:52Do you think this is right?

00:54Are you taking players like Uthappa with you?

00:57You are taking two openers with you.

00:59You have Ganguly and Tendulkar with you.

01:01There are four players who can open.

01:03Do you think it is right to take Sehwag in this case?

01:06Yes, I agree that it is right on Dravid's part

01:09because the World Cup is a big tournament

01:11and you need experience there.

01:13You can't count on youth that much.

01:15So, according to me, it is a right decision

01:17because they are very experienced

01:19and have made a lot of runs in the Indian game.

01:20I would like to know, as Dilip Vengsarkar said,

01:23that they took Sehwag on the insistence of Dravid.

01:26Do you think that the team went to the West Indies for the World Cup

01:29and after that they are playing for the Chiefs?

01:31Will this affect the team's morale?

01:34Will this affect Sehwag's morale?

01:36Yes, we shouldn't have disclosed this on TV.

01:39This will affect Sehwag's morale

01:42because he was down anyway

01:44and after this news came out,

01:46his confidence was low.

01:48The team had announced that they will play in the Pathan team.

01:52After that, Vengsarkar said that

01:54if they don't perform well in this match,

01:56they won't go to the West Indies.

01:58So, don't you think this affects the player?

02:01Yes, it affects a lot because

02:03once you are announced,

02:05a cricketer has to change his mindset

02:07and the very next moment if you are told

02:09that you are not sure,

02:11it affects a lot.

02:13Yes.

02:14I would like to ask you one thing.

02:16Why doesn't India have the guts to play five games?

02:20We always see that an extra batsman

02:22is always played by India.

02:24On paper, we see that India has

02:26such batsmen who can

02:28destroy any game-winning attack in the world.

02:31Despite this, India plays five game-winners

02:34and always plays an extra batsman.

02:36So, what do you think is the reason for this?

02:39As you have seen in the past,

02:41India has not been able to defend well.

02:43Even if they play five bowlers,

02:45they don't have the capacity to defend a big score.

02:48India's batting strength is the reason.

02:50And I believe that India's batting

02:52can chase any score.

02:54All-rounders are still not able to come to us.

02:57Pathan was there, but he was not able to

02:59build his level as much as

03:01all-rounders like Jack Scarlet have.

03:04But Pathan is still struggling.

03:06If they bowl well, they don't bat.

03:08If they bowl well, they don't bowl.

03:10So, do you think that if all-rounders

03:12come to India more,

03:14or the existing players in the team

03:16like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag

03:18or Saurabh Ganguly,

03:20is there any player who can make

03:22a big difference by playing all-round?

03:25If you look at Sachin Tendulkar,

03:27Sehwag and Yuvraj,

03:29all three of them can bowl 5-6 over

03:31in every match.

03:33So, if they concentrate more on bowling,

03:35they can become good all-rounders.

03:37Somehow, it affects the game.

03:39Instead of focusing on the game,

03:41you are modeling, adding,

03:43making money.

03:45And each player is endorsed by 30 brands.

03:47Somehow, it affects the game.

03:49I don't think it affects the game.

03:51If you don't perform,

03:53all these things come out.

03:55If you keep winning,

03:57no one will talk about endorsement.

03:59You both are players.

04:01So, you are not ready to accept

04:03that it affects the game.

04:05I would like to know one thing.

04:07Today, media has become a big power.

04:09Media pressurizes a lot.

04:11It makes you a hero in a day.

04:13If Dhoni scores a few fours,

04:15the next day, there is a headline

04:17that Dhoni lost the game.

04:19Do you think the media

04:21puts a lot of pressure on the players?

04:23Or are the players capable

04:25of tolerating the media's pressure?

04:27It doesn't affect them.

04:29I think the media puts a lot of pressure.

04:31No matter how big the player is.

04:33Even Sachin was pressurized by the media.

04:35So, no matter how big the player is,

04:37if the media puts pressure on him,

04:39it will affect him psychologically.

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