"Logon ka kaam hai kehna" - Virat Kohli uses popular Bollywood line to rubbish questions about KL Rahul's form
On the eve of the first ODI between India and England in Pune, Virat Kohli rubbished concerns about KL Rahul’s form.
The Indian captain used the reference of a popular Bollywood song from the 1972 Rajesh Khanna-starrer Amar Prem to answer a query about KL Rahul's indifferent form going into the three-match ODI series.
Virat Kohli said in this regard:
“The subject of form and out of form reminds me of the song – ‘Kuch toh log kehenge, logo ka kaam hai kehna. Chhodo bekaar ki baaton mein kaheen beet na jaaye rainaa’ (People will say something or the other, it’s the job of people to say something. Forget all these useless things or else our night will end just around them.)
The Indian captain continued:
“There’s a lot of impatience outside the cricket setup, and everyone has a point of view. Some people form an opinion on what the player is thinking, and that becomes a judgment. When a player is down, some people enjoy having their fun at his expense and further pulling him down.”
Emphasising that the team has a system in place to help out-of-form players like KL Rahul, Virat Kohli said that external 'noise' can be disconcerting:
“As a part of team management, we know how to manage this. Personally, the player suffers from a bit of a difficult phase. It’s not like he forgets how to play. It becomes a question of mental clarity, which takes a bit of a toll. At the same time, when the player knows what’s being spoken about him outside, it’s another external factor that he puts into his system,” Virat Kohli said.
We back our players and try to provide a good mental space for them: Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli said that cricket, in its true essence, is a see-ball-hit-ball game and does not need to be unnecessarily complicated.
“Cricket is a simple game. Batting is all about seeing the ball and hitting it. It’s about being in that moment and playing it," said Kohli.
Elaborating on his stance, the Indian captain said that the team management believes in providing a good mental space to help struggling players recover their mojo.
Virat Kohli said in this regard:
“All these outside talks are rubbish. From the start of my career till date, all these talks outside have remained rubbish for me. Why does one say something? What agenda the person has? For what a premise is being set? We don’t even let these thoughts enter the team, and even in the future, we will continue to do so. At the same time, we will continue to back our players and try and provide a good mental space for them."
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is coming off a Man of the Series win in the T20I series against England, which concluded in Ahmedabad. He will now look for a productive outing in the ODI series against the visitors, which starts in Pune on Tuesday.
India, who have won both the Test and T20I series, will eye a three-peat by clinching the ODI series. However, that will not be easy against England, the reigning world champions and the no. 1 side in the ODI format.
In the last ODI meeting between the two sides, England dealt India their only defeat in the group stage of the 2019 World Cup.