"It has been taken for granted that I will play in all matches" - Virat Kohli on missing the Johannesburg Test
Team India captain Virat Kohli missed the second Test against South Africa against Johannesburg due to upper back spasms. The visitors, led by KL Rahul, suffered a 7-wicket loss, allowing South Africa to level the series at 1-1.
It's GO time here in Cape Town 👏 👏
#TeamIndia all set and prepping for the series decider 👍 👍
#SAvIND https://t.co/RgPSPkNdk1
The 33-year-old has recovered from his injury and will lead the team in the final Test at Cape Town. India are yet to record a win at The Newlands in five attempts. losing thrice and drawing the rest.
Kohli will return to the middle order of the Indian batting unit for the 99th Test of his career. The Indian captain addressed his feelings over missing the Johannesburg Test due to injury, an instance which has only occurred once before.
"The thing that comes to mind is, unfortunately in a team environment there are players who are not able to start games, how they must feel. I have experienced it at the beginning of my career, but God has been kind that I did not have to face it after a point in time."
"I'm very grateful for that, but honestly, not playing the second Test match, at first you feel guilty, like how did I get a back spasm? how can it happen? you don't accept it at first."
Kohli added:
"As I said before, playing all formats for 12 years, training days, gym, traveling, it just accumulates after a certain point. So, somewhere in between, it has been taken for granted that I will play in all matches, that fitness won't be an issue for me at all. Because before this, whenever I have suffered from spasms, it has always been during matches."
"Getting a spasm before a match is a strange feeling, but it shows the reality that you're playing a sport and your body goes through wear and tear and you have to accept that you're human. "
Kohli was also asked about the recurring injuries that have hit the team lately. Rohit Sharma, Axar Patel, Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja had to miss the entire Test series against South Africa due to injury.
Mohammad Siraj is the latest casualty after pulling his hamstring in the second Test. Attributing the injuries to the workload, Kohli called for a need for balance in quantity and intensity.
"Look, I mean our focal point was obviously to be as fit as possible, to be the fittest version of ourselves. But, the reality of the situation is, we do play a lot of cricket, there's no denying that."
"In my case, for example, as much as I take pride in being absolutely fit at all times, but you do take a lot of things for granted as well, the fact I've been playing three formats and the IPL since 2012 regularly, for the last 10 years is almost a thing that's taken for granted that I will play more or less feature in every game that India plays."
The Indian skipper elaborated:
"But that is not how the sport works unfortunately and the same is the case with the people you mentioned just now. Bhuvi played a lot of cricket for us for 5-6 years straight, Jadeja obviously features in most of the games that we play."
"So, these injuries are a natural occurrence. I think there has to be a right balance between quantity and the intensity that you play with, you obviously want to compete at the top intensity, so quantity becomes even more important."
Ishant Sharma has been touted to replace the injured Siraj in the playing XI. Hanuma Vihari, on the other hand, is expected to make way for the captain in the third Test.
It's not the first time: Kohli on the talks surrounding his lean patch
Having scored his last century over two years ago, Kohli has not been among the runs in the last two calendar years. The pattern of dismissals outside the off-stump adds more worry to the cause as well. Kohli notes that things do not always go as intended, and he aims to be an integral part of the team with his contributions.
"It's not the first time (on talks about his form), let's not get away from the reality too much. It's happened a few times in my career, England 2014 was one of those phases. But look, the thing is that I don't look at myself from the lengths like the outside world looks at me with."
"Eventually, the standards we are talking about today that I'm being compared with, are set by myself, so they are not an occurrence from outside. And more than anyone else, I take a lot of pride in wanting to do the best thing for the team that I can and wanting to perform regularly for the team, and hence I've been able to do that for a long time. "
Kohli concluded:
"You have to understand that in sports sometimes things do not go the way you want them to do. But, at the end of the day, I realize as a player, as a batsman, I've been involved in many important moments for the team in the last calendar year or so."
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We are here at the picturesque Cape Town ⛰️👌🏻
#TeamIndia begin preparations for the 3rd Test #SAvIND https://t.co/U8wm0e0zae
The third Test between India and South Africa will take place in Newlands, Cape Town from January 11 (Tuesday). The series is currently poised at 1-1 with one game to go.