Chennai: Star batsman Virat Kohli feels that one quality that he wishes to imbibe from his skipper MS Dhoni is the art of “staying calm” in pressure situations.
“One thing I like about him (Dhoni) is his calmness. I wish I could have some of it. He is someone who doesn’t disclose too much which would let opposition know about what’s going on in his mind. Wish I could get some of it,” Kohli said.
Growing up in the era of Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli found it difficult to imagine an Indian team without the senior batsman.
“For 23 years, he has taught us how to perform with so many people expecting you to score a century everyday. It is unbelievable. Growing up, I could never imagine a team without Tendulkar but someday, one needs to take that (retirement) decision,” the 23-year-old batsman told a TV channel.
In a lighter vein though, he said that Tendulkar insisted that a self proclaimed hip hop and R&B lover like him had to listen to old English songs.
“He loved a selected few songs.
“He is a great fan of Kishore Kumar but he made me listen to old English songs with meaningful melody.
“As far as I am concerned, I am listening to Swedish House Mafia a lot these days apart from popular Punjabi numbers.”
He termed Yuvraj Singh as ” an elder brother” whose courageous comeback to international cricket after fighting a rare germ cell cancer was an “inspiration.”
“Courage and mental strength are two things one can learn from Yuvraj. The challenges that he has faced in life and career is something that one can learn from.”
Sunil Gavaskar has compared him with Nawab Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi stating that the youngster has the same “flair and panache”.
“You feel humbled when you are compared with a legend like Nawab of Pataudi by another legend Sunil Gavaskar.”
Although there weren’t too many questions on the team’s performance in recent tournaments, Kohli felt that the new ODI rules will be “helpful for batsmen in the sub-continent” while “bowlers will find it beneficial outside the sub-continent.”
Speaking of himself, Kohli said he still has a lot to achieve and wants to win more matches for India.
Earlier in the day, Kohli told reporters at an event here that pressure and challenges were part of the game “but I like it rather than being not there at all.”
“I want to be an achiever. There is a lot left to achieve and I hope I win many more games of India,” Kohli said.
“Sometimes I feel a bit under pressure. But all that is part of being there,” he said. (PTI)