Bengaluru: For 23 Tests and 41 innings between November 2019 and March 2023, Virat Kohli Ended an unprecedented century drought in the five-day format. It was also a phase during which he stepped away from Indian Test captaincy, as the leanest phase of his career unfolded.Reflecting on this difficult period, Kohli said that the two men who stood by him firmly were the then India head coach Rahul Dravid and the batting coach. Vikram Rathore.Speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab’s Indian Sports Summit at the Center of Excellence here on Monday, Kohli opened up about how the duo helped him rediscover both his form and joy for batting.“Whenever I see or meet them, I always thank them from the bottom of my heart because they really took care of me in a way that made me feel like I wanted to play for them. I want to perform, grind it out and work hard for them. They made me realize what I have done so far,” he said.“It’s a very thin line between being cautious and being insecure. You always feel like you’re never good enough. And that’s a liar syndrome. You have to stick to your standards, he understood that. Rahul bhai has certainly done better than a lot of people at the highest level in Test cricket. Vikram Rathore too had realized for many years that he had been feeling that way too late. And they really took care of me mentally. They put me in a place where I can enjoy my cricket again,” explained Kohli.‘Don’t Trust Workload Management’Kohli, who spoke about leadership coming naturally to him, also explained why he doesn’t believe in the concept of workload management, which is the focal point of multi-format players.“I don’t believe in managing workload when you’re in a lot of things and your career is growing. You have to understand your maximum limit first. And then from there, you know the balance of how much you can do or when you have to start reducing it. But you can’t start managing early in your career; you’ll never reach your full potential. Otherwise that’s the way I run ODIs, “Someone plays for the country only what I do. i playA veteran of 123 Test matches, Kohli made an interesting observation about the money-driven nature of T20 cricket.Asked what still keeps him going, he replied, “It’s the drive. A lot of people these days associate drive with money, yes, that’s a big factor because when a format that gives you hype and recognition, the fame and the kind of money you get by scoring 40-50 runs in 20 balls, it makes people say, ‘You can put yourself in a very comfortable place in the IPL. Is it wonderful to handle the pressure for a long time?'” No need.According to Kohli, the longevity mantra is, “..or you can say, I want to play for 15-20 years. I want to get the recognition and respect of my heroes in the cricketing world and I want to live up to that opportunity. It’s a very different zone. You have to be very motivated to say, I’m going to commit to this for the next 5 years. Tough but I’m ready for it.”
