"I won't say I have mastered it" - Virat Kohli on changing diapers and parenthood
New father Virat Kohli has opened up on the challenge of parenthood, changing diapers and watching India play during all of it.
Team India played the last three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy without Virat Kohli, who was on paternity leave back home. Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma were subsequently blessed with a baby daughter, Vamika, on January 11th.
In an interaction with the BCCI, Virat Kohli was asked how he fared changing diapers while watching Team India play. Kohli jokingly compared adapting to parenthood with that of his cricketing experience.
"Luckily, as a cricketer, I have over the years become someone who adapts really well to the situation. Ravi Bhai will know standing in and out of the crease and things like that, I have become very flexible (laughs). So for me learning how to change diapers and all those things wasn't that tough because I was keen to learn. I won't say I have mastered it, but I am very very comfortable with everything that I have learned so far," said Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli also revealed that he was jittery before the second Test of the series began in Melbourne. However, the team's spirited performances against Australia drew rich praise from the captain.
"I'll be very honest; before the Melbourne Test, I was a bit anxious. But then the way the whole team played in Melbourne... I was cheering every ball, jumping every now and then as well, every time a wicket fell. Probably not as loud as (when) I am on the field; still the cheers were loud enough for the staff to hear everywhere in the house," Kohli added.
The 32-year-old has since returned to national duty and is currently leading Team India against England in a 4-Test series that has started in Chennai.
Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri reflect on India's historic win in Australia
During the interaction, Virat Kohli and Team India's head coach Ravi Shastri also reflected on the historic series triumph Down Under.
Kohli even labelled the victory as a very 'special' one.
"If you put things in perspective in terms of the experience in the squad and how much cricket our boys had played against the opposition who had played way more... the odds were stacked up against us after Adelaide. The kind of character and belief shown by the whole squad, I don't think any victory has been more special than this," said Virat Kohli.
Team India head coach Ravi Shastri chimed in:
"One of the mornings, I said 'wear that 36 as a badge,' so that you never forget it and when things are going your way, you cash in and make the most of it."