First Virat Kohli lets his bat do the talking and then he speaks his mind. Be it when playing for India or RCB – this has been a recent trend. Few months back, he had a lengthy heart-to-heart chat at the award ceremony under Ranchi’s night sky after his ODI ton against South Africa. Now, after carrying RCB to the IPL play-offs he sat down for a long podcast. When you have the weight of runs behind you, your words carry heft and the world believes you.
On both occasions, as always, he was articulate, analytical and also unusually angsty. Kohli, all through his captaincy, made it an Us vs World battle to fuel his team and get sparkling results. This time the battle seems more personal. One doesn’t need to read between the lines; connecting the dots is enough to get a drift of Kohli’s statements. Without naming anyone in the team management or selection committee, he has been making a few telling points.
Kohli’s public remarks give a hint about the rather prickly relationship with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar – the two men during whose tenure he had retired from Tests. They also give off a whiff of mistrust. Suddenly, it seems there is some truth in the nudge-and-wink stories floating around Indian cricket – the ones about the team management and selectors still being undecided about including Virat and even Rohit Sharma in the 2027 ODI World Cup squad. Both Ro and Ko have been around long enough to know that they aren’t in the safe zone. It is this uncertainty that fosters the many thinly-veiled gripes that one has been hearing.
Those in the know say that a few voices in the selection committee were keen to rest the seniors for the Afghanistan series as it was days after the hectic IPL series. Not just the pacer Jasprit Bumrah but even Kohli and Rohit. But that didn’t quite materialise. Rohit and Virat were named in the squad. Having retired from both T20 and Tests, they showed their eagerness to scoop the limited opportunity for international outings they were getting.
In the RCB podcast, Virat gets asked about the 2027 World Cup and he doesn’t dodge the question. “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 …” he says and shakes his head vigorously .” I’m not in that space.”
Was Virat taking an important stand? And in case “the environment ” – read team management headed by Gambhir – do feel he doesn’t add value to the team, will he say goodbye to the 2027 World Cup? In the months ahead, intrigue around the ODI squad would be at a new high.
Virat Kohli credited former India head coach Rahul Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour for his Test revival in 2023. (PTI Photo)
Later he would talk about the work atmosphere that was far from ideal – once again he keeps it vague with no names. But somehow it is easy to make guesses. “I want to play because I love playing. I just Iove batting … I could not care … This is not about anyone else. This is about me and the game and that’s what it’s going to be. The moment I feel like, you know, people are trying to complicate,” he says. “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 … Then be quiet.” The answer leaves little to imagination.
As if to present a contrast, he would go on to praise the other coaches he has worked with, those who gave him an atmosphere he liked and to whom he is eternally obliged. In another recent RCB chat show, he mentioned his incredible 2023 season and the role the India coaches – Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour – had in his success. “Whenever I 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 do the hard work for them because they were so caring and nurturing,” he said.
This was revelatory, even the seemingly uber confident need caring and nurturing. “It’s a very thin line between being cautious and being insecure. You always feel like you’re never good enough and that’s the impostor syndrome. Even if I go to the nets today. I feel like at this stage like these youngsters are watching and if I have a bad net session, they’re going to be like this is the guy who’s been playing for 20 years … So that’s always at the back of your mind like you have to keep up with your own standards you know.”
How times change, the mighty talk about their own frailties. Those who once ruled the dressing room, now have doubts. They worry about the opinion of the environment. The 2027 World Cup is still many months away and the once untouchable now navigate a long period of scrutiny.
