The more important thing is finishing the game – Virat Kohli on his muted celebration after ninth IPL ton
Virat Kohli smashed his ninth IPL century, taking the overall tally of tons two past his closest pursuer, Jos Buttler. As RCB beat KKR in their last home game of the season in Nava Raipur, the fans were treated to something very special after the rain forced them to wait 75 minutes at the start of the game.
Talking at the post-match presentation, Kohli opened up about his century and the muted celebration that followed. He also highlighted how the lack of runs in the last two games played a significant role in his decision to go big in RCB’s last home game.
Shedding light on his century, Kohli said, “Well, the celebration wasn't a big one because we know the importance of the points right now. And yeah, look, for me, it's a conscious effort to try and contribute to the team's scores. And I know if I bat for long enough in the game, our chances of winning become higher. So the fact that I didn't get many runs in the last two games was, it eats me up in a way that I know I can play well and I'm hitting the ball well.”
Adding further, Kohli stated, “But then when you don't carry on and you know, you haven't created the impact for the team, it bothers you because that's basically been the goal all these years, trying to improve so that you can be the best version for your team when you play out there and make an impact. So, yeah, century or no century, I think the more important thing is finishing the game, making sure that I was out there till the end to get those two points, which again, puts us at the top of the table.”
Revealing if pressure played a part or not, Kohli explained, “Well, there's a reason why people say pressure is a privilege. It actually keeps you humble, keeps you focused, makes you work hard at practice again. You can't take things for granted. Butterflies in the stomach, good pressure always helps you to improve your game. So I was in the nets working harder. Training harder, you tend to, when you're playing well, you can tend to kind of taper off a little bit with your intensity and focus.”
Stating how past games shaped his knock, Kohli added, “But I think a couple of games that don't go your way, you start feeling a bit of nervousness again. It helps you to go out there and work on your game and back yourself even more, which takes a lot of effort out of you. But then I think you go a level up as a player and then you keep improving your game little by little.”
He concluded by saying, “And at the end of the day, when you look back, those failures are so important because they put you back into the place that gets you the performances in the first place and it doesn't let you go off your intense best. So I think that's why people say pressure is a privilege. And of course, I was nervous. I just wanted to get off the mark and just celebrate and have a bit of fun there.”
