World Cup 2023: I always had the drive in me, but I lacked the professionalism – Virat Kohli sheds light on his journey

India’s superstar Virat Kohli is one of the most successful batters of all time. Kohli has delivered consistently across all formats and has done a fine job for the national team. The talisman admitted he never thought he would achieve so much at the top level.

Kohli is known to give his 120% on the field and has played with a lot of passion, which has helped him take giant strides. The former Indian skipper has always worked hard on his game and thus he has reaped rewards.

Kohli has scored a total of 48 ODI centuries and he is one hundred away from matching his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s tally. The linchpin is also the fourth-highest run-scorer behind Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, and Ricky Ponting in ODIs.

Kohli has been in top form in the ongoing World Cup as he has amassed 354 runs in six matches at an average of 88.50 and a strike rate of 88.50.

“If we talk about cricket, I had never thought of achieving all, as in where my career is and how god has blessed me such a career span and performances. I had always dreamt I’d do this, but I had never thought things would pan out this way exactly, nobody can plan these things, the way your journey is going, and the way things unfold in front of you. I hadn’t thought that I’d score so many hundreds and so many runs in these 12 years,” Kohli said on Star Sports.

Kohli revealed his only focus was to deliver the goods for the team in pressure situations and help his team win the big matches.

“My only focus was that I should perform well for the team, and win games for the team from difficult situations. For that, I made quite a few changes along the way regarding discipline and lifestyle. I always had the drive in me, but I lacked the professionalism. Now I have a single-minded focus on how I want to play the game, and after that the results I’ve achieved is from playing that way itself. The game recognizes effort. Honestly, that’s what I have learned from my career. I’ve played cricket by giving my hundred percent on the field, and the blessings I have got from it have been given to me by God, and I had never thought things would have unfolded this way,” he added.
Kohli is going to hold the key for the Indian team in the upcoming matches of the World Cup and he would aim to continue the good form. India will next take on Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.