17 October,2014 08:39 AM IST | | Agencies
Batting star, who scored his first ODI half-century after seven months against West Indies to overcome the first lean patch of his prolific career said the barren run has taught him about people and life
Virat Kohli in the nets at Dharamsala yesterday. Pic/PTI
Dharamsala: Virat Kohli, who scored his first ODI half-century after seven months against West Indies last week at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi to overcome the first lean patch of his otherwise prolific career said the barren run has taught him about people and life.
Virat Kohli in the nets at Dharamsala yesterday. Pic/PTI
"You will have a bad patch eventually and in those times you get to know the people who are ready to support you and people who are ready to rip you apart. I have learnt a lot, I have seen people change completely, 360 degrees, and that's not surprising actually."
Kohli said the break he took during the Champions League Twenty20 did him a world of good as he could work on his game. "Having that break was really good. I got to work on my game and went in this ODI series with a positive mindset.
I just needed that one innings to get my confidence back and that came in the last game," said Kohli referring to his 62-run knock against West Indies at the Kotla.
"I think as a cricketer, you find out things about yourself which you're not aware of when you're scoring runs. It's only when you don't score runs and get out in a particular manner that you address these issues, and I've gone back and worked on them," Kohli said ahead of the fourth ODI between India and the West Indies here today.
'It's all about confidence'
Experts and media blasted him for repeatedly getting caught behind on moving balls outside the off-stump. "It's very easy to let it (getting out outside the off-stump) affect you but I choose not to.
At times, it does play on your mind and this is where as a batsman you go back to the basics and improve. At the end of the day, it's all about the confidence and letting your instincts take over," said the 25-year-old, who averages 40 in Tests and 50 plus in ODIs.
