Talismanic batter Virat Kohli on Sunday said milestones have never been his focus and that he is excited to ‘unlock a new version’ of himself at this stage of his career, after becoming only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to complete 15 000 ODI runs.
The 37-year-old, who got to the landmark faster than anyone in men’s ODIs, smashed an unbeaten 139 off 88 balls – his 55th ODI ton – as India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first ODI at the Greenfield International Stadium to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
"Well, my focus has never really been on these milestones, so to say," said Kohli.
"It's just understanding the situation along the course of just doing the job for the team, whatever. Achievements come along. Obviously, I feel very grateful and very blessed to be in this position for having played for so long.
“Just keeping my head down, working hard, and thanking God for everything that I've been blessed with and the opportunities that I've gotten in my life to be where I am. We have a very blessed life and a blessed journey because so many people want to be here, but we get to be the lucky ones.
"So, we better put our head down and just work hard every day of our lives."
Kohli, who now plays only ODIs for India, said the key to his recent consistency in the 50-over format lay in staying fit and mentally fresh.
"I think just the understanding of the game firstly, also at the stage that I'm at – just keeping myself physically very fit, because the game's more or less in the mind.
“I've never been a guy who practiced a lot, even when I was playing all three formats, as you know. So, it's just for me about staying mentally fresh, staying in the present moment and just expressing myself really out there to play in a certain way, get used to this template more often."
The former captain said he had set himself the task of batting at a higher tempo in ODIs.
"I've got a challenge at this stage of my career to kind of up the ante and play a gear or two higher, and that was exciting for me to work on. Again, it excites you when you have to unlock a new version at this stage of your career, which will eventually help any team that you play for, be it playing for India or in the IPL.
"It's really helped me a lot to play with a free mind, and I think that's what's working for me. But I think to follow a free mind, you need a fit body.
"So, for me it works the other way around. I stay physically fit and then I'm able to visualise the game in the way that I want to play, which allows me the best chance to go out there and execute in the way that I did tonight."
With the 2027 ODI World Cup a year away, Kohli said playing a single format had given him clarity about his goals.
"We're a year away from the World Cup. I know what my goal is, and it's pretty clear for me that whatever games we get, I just need to keep working on different aspects of the game, keep myself physically fit, challenge myself to be out there, run from boundary to boundary in the last 15 overs if I can, field in the inner ring, show intensity.
"If I keep ticking all those boxes, as I said, I've got some time left to play in this format as well, and yeah, I just want to enjoy every day. So when I get an opportunity, I feel happy rather than feeling anxiety or pressure to make the most of it.
"I just want to express myself and play my game. As I said, I promised myself I'm going to play positively because I can.
"I'm going to continue to play like that, but not be reckless. There's a fine line which, as a professional, as an experienced player, I should have the ability to execute in this way without playing reckless shots and get the team through," he concluded. | IANS