Virat Kohli opens up on playing for India in ODIs and having to prove his worth

“I mean, this 2027 chat… I’ve been asked so many times, ‘Do you want to play in 2027?’ I’m like, why would I leave my home, get my stuff over and be like, ‘I don’t know what I want.’ Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket and I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing. But as I said, the value has to be from both sides.”

Kohli then spoke about his commitment towards playing the game.

“Today my perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of, and the environment feels like I can add value, I’ll be seen. If I’m made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I’m not in that space because I’m being honest to my preparation. I’m being honest to how I approach the game. I put my head down. I work hard… when I arrive to play, I put my head down. I work as hard, if not harder, than anyone else. And I play the game in the right way.

“You want me to run boundary to boundary for 40 overs in an ODI game? I will do that without a complaint because I prepare accordingly. I prepare for the fact that I will field 50 overs, every ball like it’s the last ball I’m going to play in my career, and I will bat that way and I will run between the wickets that way and I will do everything possible for the team. After operating like this, if I have to be in a place where I have to prove my worth and value, that place is not meant to be for me. And I am very clear in my head from that perspective. When I went back to play, I was very clear in my head: I’m not going out there to prove anything to anyone. I’m going to play because I love playing the game.”

Kohli also opened up about the experience of playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently.

“It was amazing. Firstly, I thought, ‘You know, I’ve played for so long, so will it be motivating enough?’ But the moment my intention switched to ‘I want to play because I love playing’ and ‘I just love batting and I just want to focus on that’ I could not care (about anything else)! It’s not like I didn’t field, I fielded the whole game and I was diving around—and I felt like a child again. I was like, ‘This is not about anyone else. This is about me and the game and that’s what it’s going to be.’ And the moment I feel like people are trying to complicate it for me… either be clear and honest upfront or be quiet and let me play.

“Look, if you go to your workplace, right, and if people say ‘We believe in your abilities’ and then a week later they start questioning the way you operate, it’s like, why? Either tell me on day one I’m not good enough or I’m not needed, or if you’ve said I’m good enough and you say we’re not even thinking otherwise—then be quiet, you know? Then don’t… if you start operating up and down because of results, you can never have a consistent stance,” Kohli added.