Life in Cricket ft. Virat Kohli: From his early days in 2008 to last year's IPL win | RCB Podcast

We only didn't sync.Come on.3, 2, 1.Nice.Start.VK, 80.

Virat, what's up?How are you?What phase are you in right now?

I'm pretty good.Very relaxed.Happy.In a phase of my life, career where I'm just doing things which are purposeful.Even playing cricket, you get to a stage which goes beyond numbers and achievements and all those kind of things.And then it's like... a full circle feeling you know when you start off with just pure enjoyment of the game and then you set out with some goals in your mind and then you achieve goal after goal and then you know through that whole journey you feel like oh now this is the big thing you know once I get to this it'll all be fine but then you wake up the next morning and you're like it's still going on it's still not over what's going on you know so I think the importance of achieving and numbers and all those kind of things.

It acts like a motivation factor earlier.But the more you do it, the more you realize that it actually, it's not what your purpose is in the game.It's not fulfilling you in a way that is organic, which is in flow with, you know, the love of the game, as we say.So now I'm at a stage where I feel like, okay, any kind of achievement does not stop you from going ahead the next day, going through the same pressures, the same complications in your mind.

You spoke about the butterflies.You're still getting those butterflies.Of course.

I mean, of course.I mean, sports...general is such a great leveler.But I think the one thing that you realize over a long period of time is when you feel like you've seen everything, there's still something that you haven't experienced.And I think invariably that happens to people who have played any sport for a long period of time that you keep getting surprised in a way that I thought I had it figured, but I still don't know how to do this or I still don't know how to do that.So that's why it's a constant learning curve and a constant evolving process because you're never really a finished product.

You're never going to be a finished product in life or in sport.Definitely not.Especially I can, I can say that from a perspective of a batter, when your whole impact is down to one mistake, you always get surprised in a way that you feel like, man, I never predicted that this could happen to me or, you know, I could feel like, There's a part of the game where I just don't know what to do.So I've had many of those experiences.Still continue to do so.And I think that's the beautiful part about playing sport.

It forces you to be present.It forces you to reflect.Because everything happens in a moment.And you don't have time to plot and plan and think.It's all instinctive.And when something goes wrong... ...you really want to break it down in a way that... ...okay, what happened?

What was I thinking?What was I feeling?And that helps you to grow eventually.into a better player and in turn into a better person.Honestly, it's every incident that happens on the field, every game that we play is in itself a small life lesson because you're forced to be present and you're forced to make the right decisions or sometimes the wrong decisions under pressure and that helps you grow as a person.

New season, huh?Let's get off to a fresh start!Fresh fruits, sir!Hey, shut up and stand!Peace!Anyway, do we have everything we need?

Big basket!Everything you need, boys!Everything you need?Delivered now!

felt like we really were able to see or experience a piece of your heart during that final.Just watching you and AB, we had tears in our eyes.I know you guys had.Chris Gayle was there.You running like a kid into Ravi Shastri's arms, that was... amazing to see that because you know you know someone is truly happy when they go back to behaving like they did when they were children and that little run that little jump just that whole moment of being there with these friends of yours and it was love it was pure love pure emotion it was i i felt very thankful and i feel grateful every day of my life to be honest i have nothing to complain about but that night especially and i still say it's very difficult to explain to people in words how I felt in the last four balls of the last over.

When you see from the outside what has happened to the franchise, how RCB has been looked at for so many years as a big team, big franchise that's never won, you know, the almost champions, the ones that have come close but never really won the trophy, and for that pressure to build over so many years, like, season after season, there's one thing to observe it and there's one thing to live it.Yeah.And I have lived through all of those seasons.

Your youth, your pride.

Yeah, I mean, it's a fact.I mean, I started my journey with RCB very young, as everyone knows.Then I was retained at a very important juncture in my career.To be fair, with the conversation back and forth, RCB agreed to the perspective I had for my own career, for my own game, because I was also playing for India.They showed trust in me. I was the only retained player in 2011.And they kind of built the team around.

And then, you know, the involvement of like, like you said, AB, Chris, all the iconic players that have played for so many years....very naturally they also started feeling, ...all those pressures, and all the expectations, and hence, ...the care comes from the fact that, ...when you have kind of, ...given so much of yourself, ...to one team, ...because it's demanding so much out of you to be honest, ...the expectations have been sky high always.So when people give so much of their own being, ...to something.There is a very genuine and natural care, ...and an emotional connect, that's very difficult to explain.So they felt emotional, although Chris has played for other teams after, but... ...he has a very soft spot for RCB in his heart.I mean, it's impact, right?

AB became this icon in India, ...after he started playing for us.You know, how the fans embraced him, how they loved him, what he did for the team was... ...beyond words, the impact he had.Very organically things fell in place.With Chris as well, he was sitting at home, ...gets called mid -season, ...has the season of his life, his completely life changed within a week, ...coming to Bangalore.So, ...our franchise, our city, our team, our fans has been about, ...impacting people, ...in a very natural way.And I felt that impact, ...probably more than anyone over the course of 18 years, ...till the last year we won the trophy.

And I think all those emotions, all those feelings, came out in a form of just being on my knees and just holding my hands and saying thank you.

Yeah.

You know, that I could experience this before I stopped playing.Although I wouldn't have carried on regretting it, but there would have been a part of me that would have wondered, you know, what it would have felt like to experience that moment.And it was, I can for sure with absolute honesty and clarity say that it wouldn't have been, you know, 5 % of the feeling I had, had we won it in the earlier years.And the accumulation of all that stress and all that pressure.

Yeah.

And for it to happen after 18 years, there couldn't have been a better experience for me in my cricketing journey apart from all the other things that I've experienced playing for India as well.This was very, very special.

I mean, the stars, I guess, just lined up because it's been like, it was 12 months of collecting trophies, right?G -20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and then which you have won before and then this, everyone plays for trophies at the end of the day and even if you've experienced before, does it get more and more special every time you're on the podium and you have that silverware?

The thing that, your perspective kind of keeps evolving, right?As we just discussed.It's an ever evolving, ever growing process.I started off thinking of trophies as accolades and achievements.But at the end of the day, why do people get so... ...involved and engrossed... ...say for a semi -final or a final.I think the opportunity to win a competition... ...in itself feels like a very difficult thing to achieve.

And when it's difficult... ...and people feel like it might or might not happen... ...the connection and the intensity with which they watch... ...goes ten levels higher.How I've started looking at these things is......if I'm able to make it to those end stages...And if I am able to leave an impact on those games, which eventually helps us to win, the beautiful thing to understand is while you are playing and you are creating an impact, because so many people are watching, you know, together, it's not only about winning the trophy, it's about what they feel when they watch you play.

So it's a collective.It's everything in that.

It's a collective environment of growth.You know, so many people when they watch sport, they become so present and involved.And if they see something inspirational happen and unfold in front of their eyes, it can have a positive impact on their life.It can transform people's lives to say, you know what, I'm going to wake up the next day, I'm going to start doing stuff which is progressive, which is positive.And it actually alters the direction of their lives.So the realization of this being an opportunity to make that impact on people is what the purpose is for me now.

And when you get to those stages like now, You know, we had a couple of tough games.And then when we won, even though you haven't contributed in the game, but you know, the impact you feel as a spectator when I'm watching from the dugout, I'm feeling those emotions when I'm watching a Krunal play under pressure.Yeah.And that just, you know, creates an energy inside you which is very difficult to explain.You feel like there's a buzz again.You feel like, oh man, this was phenomenal.

You know, I feel inspired looking at these kind of moments.So you can also relate In a way, what would the spectator be feeling when they watch you play?And that's why you want to play with integrity.That's why you want to play the game in the right way.That's why you don't want to give up.It's not about the fact that you don't want to give up for just yourself.

But it's also the impact that you leave on the game and then on the larger public.What better opportunity, to be honest, to be in a position where you actually can make a positive difference to people's lives.It's a phenomenal opportunity.It's a great blessing in my life.

It's a privilege to have that purpose and to build on what you're saying.Everyone looks at T20 because it's changed so much and drastically and the evolution is amazing.As a young person's game and I see you and I see Krunal as you mentioned and I see Bhuvie, the 35 plus club.and you are delivering and that is experience and you and Bhuvi who tests purists who played that format and bring it in so even though it's a young person's game and you have teenagers who are delivering is there a lesson for a lot of us?to learn in that when it comes to this 35 -plus club that is persevering?

There are different ways to achieve the same goals.And everyone has their own way of playing the game.We've had so many instances in the past where people bat with different stance.They hit the ball in different areas.Graham Smith, for example, we felt like, oh, it's very difficult for him to, you know, hit the ball through the offside with a straight bat but through the onside.He was unbeatable.

And if you look at it, he was a very successful test player, very successful test captain.So to have that kind of belief in your own game, which is different to others.It's not like an AB de Villiers kind of, you know, everything aligned and just perfection.Not like a Sachin Tendulkar where the bats coming down absolutely in, you know, a straight line.But people have found ways to succeed who have not had those kind of abilities or that kind of way to play the game.This is very similar for me or in fact for Bhuvi as well.

Today's cricket, of course, it's evolving, it's changing.That's the nature of the game.You see T20 cricket came about as evolution of the game.Today, it's almost become a different game altogether.Not just, you know, a different format.In fact, me and KL were talking the other day and he said this thing to me.

He said, it feels like a different game altogether.It's not even a different format.Because...

In what sense?

In a sense that every ball is an intense event.Like every ball, you feel like...

You can't let the game drift anymore.

Like the momentum can shift in every ball of the game.It's almost like you're playing a high intensity...You know, Champions League football game where one bad pass or one slip and the whole competition is done.So, it's getting to that level.The talent is through the roof.You see the youngsters coming in.

The way they can hit the ball.They are growing up on powerful, explosive cricket.And their ability to clear the boundary and to hit aggressive shots is phenomenal.Like their hand -eye coordination and the confidence they have in those abilities is outstanding.It's lovely for people to watch.It's great for the game.

At the same time, you have opportunity for, say, more classical players like myself, Bhuvi, KL.KL, for example, for that matter.He's doing great things, you know, again in T20 cricket.The only thing I would say is the game is set up to play between 22 yards.There's certain technicalities of the game that will never go out of fashion, right?You need technique, you need balance, you need some kind of symmetry to play this game.

And because we have worked on those technical aspects for so long in our lives, from very young, because we aspired to play Test Cricket, and Technical Foundation was, you know, the be -all and end -all for us, and then we have evolved into, I would say, ...playing aggressively in the shorter formats.You know, we always aspire to play longer formats, red ball cricket for India.So when you have technical abilities in place, ...you can always adjust.And especially when you're going through a tough phase, ...it's easier for the guys who have technical foundation, ...to adjust and find a way to score or find a way to get wickets.What is Bhuvi doing?He's not bowling banana in -swing, banana out -swingers.

He's setting test fields as well.

He is bowling at a length, ...that is telling the guys, I'm good enough to hit this length every time.It is the most difficult length to hit.And I'm just going to keep hitting this length.Are you good enough to take me on or not?It's simple stuff.It's repetition.

It's execution.It's uncomplicated, consistency, backed with tremendous belief.That's all he's doing.And look at the results.He's got six three -wicket holes in 11 games.That's crazy.

He's not even going at eights this season, you know.So, he's not someone who's playing cricket all through the year, left, right and center.But the belief he has in his ability is because of the work he's done from a young age.childhood age of whatever like eight nine years old to now those foundations will always hold him in good stead or for that matter us who have practiced those techniques of the game so I think our strength is backing our abilities... ...in a conventional way and finding ways to... ...evolve our games accordingly... ...with the demands of today's cricket.I in fact looked at the times that I have... ...been able to play test cricket for so long and... ...you know the opportunity...

And lead India for so long.

And lead India for so long to you know... ...some amazing victories and... ...and a golden era in our test journeys.You know bunch of young guys who always wanted to play test cricket for India... ...having the opportunity of their lives... ...as a young group.

And fast bowlers emerging.I mean, it transformed.

The most important thing was, if you look at our average age... ...there was no hesitation of... ...seniors and juniors.Everyone had played under the senior players a little bit before.And so many of the younger guys that came in after... ...we were like a group of friends.So what happened was, I was leading and the management was... ...taking the team forward in a certain way.But the most important thing was, because of the average age of the group... ...everyone felt like they had... ...responsibilities and ownership.It wasn't like these guys will look after the team... ...and we don't have anything to do with it.

It felt like, okay... ...we are young.We want to create this team for the next 6 -7 -8 years.What can I do to make the team better?So people started asking questions of themselves.Rather than just saying, I want to be told what to do.And we actually encouraged it.

We encouraged people to share ideas.We encouraged people to tell us... ...what they feel like we can add to practice sessions... ...or the way we go about communicating on the field or... what we say before we go to play a series or how we talk before a game, the meetings, the information shared, do you want more of it, do you want less of it, all kinds of things.We took on everyone's ideas on board and hence...my default way of operation was I throw the ball to the guy and say, tell me what you want.I have plan B, C and D ready.But plan is yours and I want you to bowl that ball knowing that I have set this field.

Because the ball is coming out of your hand.It's not coming out of mine.So, you need to be convinced what you want.And I will give you as long as you want to try and execute what you want to do.If it doesn't work, I'm here.Then we can switch again.

So, they felt like, okay, this is my responsibility.So then they start thinking of, how do I set up the batsman?What do I want to bowl?Should I have two catching on the leg side?Should I have three catching on the offside?I know whether I'm bowling an off -swinger or an in -swinger.

Or do I want to bluff the guy?Do I want to set him up?Do I want to open the field and bounce it?Whatever those details are, it actually helps you to think.And then that grows your own perspective of the game and how you can plan for different people.

New season, huh?Let's get off to a fresh start!Fresh fruit, sir!Hey, shut up and stand!Peace!Anyway, do we have everything we need?

Big basket!Everything you need, boys!Everything you need?

Delivered now! you wearing the one -day jersey again, down under, back on eat, sleep, century mode repeat.It felt like those times again, you know, you took us back in time.Did you feel like you would just slip back into those days again?Because you know that 2027 is the one question everyone wants to ask you and it's the one thing that everyone will be looking forward to.So, it looked like you did it so seamlessly, just switching back into that mode.

You know, as I said today, my perspective is very clear.If I can add value to the environment that I'm a part of and the environment feels like I can add value.I'll be seen.

That's a good question.Yeah.

Right.If I'm made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I'm not in that space anymore.I'm being honest to my preparation.I'm being honest to how I approach the game.I put my head down.I work hard.

I'm very thankful to God for giving me everything that I've been given in my cricketing career.And I feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity.And when I arrive to play, I put my head down.I work as hard, if not harder than anyone else.And I play the game in the right way.You want me to run boundary to boundary for 40 overs in an ODI game?

I will do that without a doubt....complain.Because I prepare accordingly.I prepare for the fact that, ...I will field 50 overs, ...every ball, like it's the last ball I'm going to play in my career, ...and I will bat that way, and I will run between the wickets that way, ...and I will do everything possible for the team.After operating like this, if I have to be in a place where I have to prove my worth and value, That place is not meant to be for me.And I am very clear in my head from that perspective.

That's why when I went back to play, I was very clear in my head.I'm not going out there to prove anything to anyone.I'm going to play because I love playing the game.That's how I played Vijay Hazare as well.

Yeah.

I was playing.There was not a...

How much fun was that?

It was amazing.There was not a person in the COA, Centre of Excellence.COE, sorry.Firstly, I thought, you know, I played for so long and.. ..will it be motivating enough?

But.. ..the moment my intentions switched to.. ..I want to play because I love playing.I just love batting.

And I just want to focus on that.And I could not care.It's not like I didn't field.I fielded the whole game and I was diving around.. ..and I felt like a child again.

I was like, this is not about anyone else.This is about me and the game.And that's what it's going to be.And the moment I feel like..you know people are trying to complicate it for me and be like oh but this and that either be clear and honest upfront or be quiet and let me play and you earn that don't you feel like you've earned the right to say that look if you if you go to your workplace right yeah and if people say we believe in your abilities and then a week later they start questioning the way you operate it's like why either tell me on day one i'm not going to work

or I'm not needed.Or if you've said I'm good enough, and you say they're not even thinking otherwise, then be quiet.If you start operating up and down because of results, you can never have a consistent stance.And I'm not someone who behaves like that.As I said, when I come to play, I know what I can deliver in terms of effort.Performance, no one can guarantee performance in any space.

But in terms of effort and commitment, I know what I can deliver because I literally live my life like that.It's not like I prepare for a series to, you know, suddenly start working hard two or three weeks before.I'm like that through the year.So if you call me to play and if you say, there's a series coming up, I'm ready.I'm always ready because that's my daily life.You know, I work out, we eat well at home.

It's because I like living that way.It's not only to play cricket.So, that's where I am.I mean, this 27th chat and all that.Honestly, for me, it's like we're at mid 26.

Yeah, it's our job to do that.You do what you're doing and enjoy.

But I've been asked so many times, do you want to play 27?

See, I'm not asking you that question.

I know the answer.Like, why would I leave my home?You know, get my stuff over and be like...I don't know what I want.Of course, if I'm playing, I want to play cricket.I want to carry on.

Playing a World Cup for India is amazing.But as I said, the value has to be two -sided.

Six months later, we'll ask that question again.Can I ask you about your school?I love it.Virat Kohli's Paatshala.Your school of cricket after every IPL game because...School of cricket?

Because that is the reason why one of the balls of the tournament was delivered to you by Prince Yadav.

Oh man!

No, it's true.He said it himself.it was incredible.Listen I mean we have to look at it from an outside perspective.I mean I don't mean it to be disrespectful but you know what I mean.

You know there's one side of things which is all to do with oh you know this frenzy around perform kiya nahi kiya all that.No I'm not asking from that perspective.No no what you're asking me is very different and I have actually shared it with You know, guys in the team as well.So, for example, say a Jaiswal.Okay?Now, you look at my situation.

If Yashaswi reaches out to me......before we have to play them, right?He's probably looked up to me for a long period of time.Now, I'm thinking, he needs help.Even though he's going to play against us.

It's one game.But if he plays well for the whole season... ...eventually he's going to play for India.

Of course, yeah.

How can I not help him?He might score against us tomorrow or the day after.It's okay.Despite him scoring, we should...Find a way to win.Whatever it is.

He might or might not.I'm not saying he would.There's a possibility he might.So, I naturally can't go into a space where I say... ...no, let's talk after the match.He needs the help.Do it now.

He's going to practice two hours later.He's probably called me on the way to the game once.So, I'm thinking if I help him now... ...it'll help him in a way that... ...it can improve his game.He can score some runs.He can have a great season.It can open up things for him.

So, I am in that space today.If someone asks me something, yeah, he bowled a great ball to me.And I told him to bowl in those areas.It's fine.Of course, yeah.You know, people because they are so connected to me, they feel like, he told me and I have to help him out.

No, I look at it from this beautiful circle of cricket moment.It was a beautiful moment.

So, people don't know.Yeah.Okay.I went and played Vijay Hazare.I didn't know Prince at all.

Yeah, Delhi boys, no?

Delhi boys.Yeah.So, because he, you know, on the field, he feels like he's very intense.And he's such a sweet guy.he's so funny because Ishant was there as well and Ishant knows him.So I got very close to him.

Nice.And he opened up really nicely to me.So I was telling him even on those times, you know, even through those Vijay Hazare games, standing and mid -off covers, whatever, what to do, where to bowl.You have to share experience.Of course.You're not going to be here forever.

And if people have the opportunity to learn and get better in their careers, eventually who gets help?If all these guys play well, eventually they play for India.The standard of cricket remains high.So you don't want to see a situation where tomorrow the standards are dropping.If you can help someone to get to their potential best, then their best version will eventually help Indian cricket.That's the progress I see.

So if Prince asks me something and we have to play them before playing Gujarat in Bangalore, I spoke to Siraj on the boundary.You know I told him my observations.How I saw him run in.And you know I was different to before.And he spoke to me about rhythm.And we're playing them two days later.

So I'm not thinking that I've said it.Don't out me.His best version, I should be able to play his best version.I don't want him to be at his worst.I actually want him to be at his best.So that you can compete with the best, right?

So I am ready for everyone's best version.And if someone's struggling, it's an opportunity for me to help.That's how I look at it.I don't do a lot of these post -match... social catch -ups, to be honest, in the IPL.But if someone genuinely needs help and they want to talk about the game, I'm always there to help.

No, it's definitely the younger generation.We've seen openly as well some of the conversations that you've had like with the women's team and some of the women's players.Just purely as someone who thrives and chases, I want to talk to you about two matches.One was the Women's World Cup semi -final.Record chase.And the WPL final.

Smriti leading that chase.Those have been two incredible chases.

And coincidentally, the two people I spoke to are like...That you have spoken to.

Exactly.

Look, I mean...is no doubt that Smriti has always had this.It's very evident when you watch her play.She has this very unique talent and very unique way of hitting the ball.She is a very gifted, natural timer of the ball, which is amazing to watch.When you watch her bat, it's like, wow, she hits some amazing shots.

And you know, the force with which they go.And you don't actually feel like she is putting a lot of force, but this is the skill.you know, to meet the ball at the right spot and it races through and she just plays beautiful cricket shots.It was amazing to watch her perform like that in the finals but I wasn't surprised by it in a way that, you know, I didn't feel like she could do this.She's done it before also but in, yes, a high stakes game, it was amazing the way she batted and also when she was sick.The more surprising, not surprising but the more, the more I was proud of...

Was the semi.Was...Jammie.Because of what she had gone through in the tournament also, you know.You could feel it, like when you see...Yes, luck plays a factor in the game.

You always feel grateful for the moments that luck was on your side.But when you look at the overall, you know... ...picture and how things were unfolding... ...it was a meant to be moment for her.There is no doubt in anyone's mind or heart... ...when you watch that knock and the way she played... ...and the kind...She was like in a different...She looked zoned out.She was in that, you know, vortex... ...where she was completely in her own world... ...and she's just watching the ball, there's Australia in front of her... ...she doesn't feel that she's bothered about all of that.

It's a record chase.It's against the world champions.Strongest team out there.And to do it in front of her own people, Mumbai, parents... ...what she had gone through.Amazing mental strength and resilience.And even when we were having a conversation, I just felt like... ...we're just listening to the questions that she's asking...

were asking or how they...When you speak to someone and you know how they are receiving the information, you can see it.Both of them were like, they were understanding the finer details of what I'm trying to say.And where they could take the standards of women cricket eventually.You know, how the ownership comes into play and how they need to rise above all the complications that happen in the environment because the goal is...

to take the cricket to another standard, which they have done.Yeah.To be fair.So, both tremendous innings and both memorable ones, of course.If you ask Smriti as well, she would say, if she had performed like that in the World Cup semi or the WPL finals, she would have chosen the World Cup.So, between the two, I would say the more special one for me was Jammie.

Although Smriti's was high -quality, world -class skill as well.But very proud of both of them.

New season, huh?Let's get off to a fresh start.Fresh fruit, sir.Hey, shut up and stand.Peace.Anyway, do we have everything we need?

Big basket.Everything you need, boys.Everything you need, delivered now.

Overall, the standards, it's been like collecting trophies.Under -19, Women's World Cup, you guys, back -to -back T20 World Cups.We're reaching that era now.Where it's like what you used to see Australia doing.And now you're doing that.You know?

I mean, look, in terms of our... you know, domination in white ball cricket especially.I would say we are probably the best in the world currently.There's no doubt about it.I saw WPL in the past as well.But this time around, the intensity was...I mean...

And you look at the turnout of fans as well.It's...There's a cricketer in me that can say, you know, I can see the difference.But when the public starts seeing the difference, that's when you know the game has changed to a different degree.You know, when they played in Baroda, was it?

Like, three games in...

Stadiums.You look at Navi Mumbai, ...I mean, packed.I was like, man, this is amazing.When they played in Bangalore, ...phenomenal turnout.And they know, the standard is going higher and higher.These younger players coming in, ...you know, they're faster, they're more explosive, ...they're more confident of, ...you know, executing their skills, of going for big shots.

I mean, some amazing, you look at talent like Shefali, Richa, I mean, you look at them, strike the ball, you're like, man, when I saw Shefali play in that, was it the T20 World Cup in Australia, wasn't it?When we were playing as well.Man, she batted in Perth and I was, because I played in that stadium.She was hitting the ball in the stands.And far, I was like, this is unreal.Like, you know, the kind of power and the confidence.

And Richa as well.I mean, it's like...

She's proper confident.

Oh, my God.It's like any, you know, top -tier finisher or explosive batter in the game.Like, across.I'm not just confining it to women's cricket.But the ability you can see is shining through.So...

There's some amazing rays of standard that's happening in Indian cricket.And predominantly, I would say, a large contribution of that is the exposure with WPL.And also IPL, it's been there for people to see.But now you see the direct effects of WPL.Them sharing experiences with other global players.And the confidence of executing your plans, your abilities, your skills against those world -class players.

on a more regular basis rather than waiting for a series.You play with probably, you know, three players from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the same team.You probably have to wait for it over six months to be able to face them.But now you're getting to face them in one game, in one high -pressure game and to have to perform against all three.So, imagine the experience you're getting in one package playing the WPL which you would have probably spread out six to eight months.So, the progress is much faster because it's a...

It's a compressed package of the best quality players in the world under high pressure circumstances.Of course, it's going to bring the best out of players and bring the ones that can handle pressure and have the skill up to the surface much faster.So, when people get selected from WPL or IPL, they feel like ready products.Because you are getting the circumstances that test your character.And the ones that shine through are...It's very evident to see they've raised the standard of Indian cricket too.

And also I think the access to a lot of you, you know Sri Anka spoke about being at the center of excellence when Jaspreet was there, just the access to you.I'm going to ask you something different which is not necessarily related but what you've learnt all these two decades, almost three decades playing at this level with the intensity, how does that like transform into the business aspect of you?having your brands and you know that aspect of your which is also your personality actually.

I'm actively I made a conscious choice now to of course I'm playing much lesser and this was always my plan like I never felt like you know I'm gonna be this like to the end like hardcore busy seen here seen there it never resonated with me like you know I always felt like I want to play to a point where I'm completely finished like I have nothing else to give and then I want to take things very easy, I want to focus on life and not just cricket, cricket, cricket and everything to do with cricket.So even the choices which I'm actively making off the field, I've cut down massively on the number of days I work from a commercial standpoint.I'm focusing more on the business side of things.Say, we're launching soon and that's probably the biggest and the most effortful project that I'll ever be a part of because it's It's the accumulation of all my playing years and you know to create a brand like this.to that degree is something that I always dreamt of but now it's it's actually coming to to life so you know when those kind of things happen then you feel like as I said you do things for the aspiration the monetary gains till a certain point but then you feel like okay is it adding value in any way to my life today if I if I just have to think of monetary perspective I honestly don't need to Like, I don't need to play or I don't need to work.If something doesn't add value in a way that I feel like, okay, it resonates with who I am or, you know, with Gwaneet, I have a chance to actively be a part of the creative process and actually put out something that I would love to, you know, have as a consumer, which is also a representation of me, more or less, is an opportunity which provides a certain purpose to me.

So, those kind of things I'm okay with.And the lesser I get, things in that space, I will confine it even further.And slow my life down completely to a point where I'm like, I've endured so much stress, now I just want to relax and focus on family and that's it.

Well, you like the stress a little bit.

Not stress in the negative way, I guess, just the pulse.

I love pressure.I love the pressure of the game.Honestly, I don't love the pressure of anything else apart from the game.Like social media is a huge part of, you know, the commercial representation or the fan engagement for any team, which is understandable.But I honestly and hand on heart, I genuinely feel like there has to be a bit more streamlining.Because if you look at the growth of the official fan clubs or the official fan pages of teams, it has taken place after a long period of time.

when the IPLO is already in play.So it's not a thing that people are ready for from day one.So immediately you walk to practice and you have six cameras following, it's not a comfortable feeling at all.As a sports person, you need to have the ability and the freedom.to work on your game in peace.If everything you do is an opportunity to film or display or to dissect, then you are not organic.

I'm not going to be able to try to do things at practice which I really want to do.Because I know tomorrow if someone films it, And there are discussions on my practice sessions.

Yeah, which of course they are.Of course they will be.But that's what I'm saying.

You judge me on my performances during the game.During the lead -up, no one has the right to judge me on what I'm doing in terms of my preparation, the things I'm trying in the nets.So, I just feel like there has to be a bit more streamlining in terms of understanding how much to do, when to do.Is the player okay with, you know, being filmed at all times?I think those kind of things really needs to be taken into account because this is my honest assessment.It gets too much.

Like, I don't like discussing, like, I was talking to Kane the other day.And there's that robot thing, like, doing...And I'm like, man..

.To be fair, that creeps us all out a little bit.

But I'm like, why is this guy, like, doing like...I'm like, I'm talking to him about something so serious, you know?Give you a high -five?Yeah, he's a friend of mine.No, no, the robot.

Did the dog give you a high -five?

No, he was like...So I looked at him and I ignored him.Then I told the guy, man, please take him away.You know, let me talk in peace.He's my friend.I can't have a conversation with him without it becoming a moment of Kane Mama and King Kohli meeting.

Kane Mama and Virat Makhindran.Nice.What is this?He is a friend.I have known him since under 19 days.Poor guy is talking something.

Let me talk.Quietly go to the dressing room.If you meet someone on the ground, it will become news.

Thanks for taking out the time and as always you know it's it's good every time we get an opportunity to chat with you and just see you on the field and this year that feeling of you don't have to say it but that liberation trophy you can see it.

It's just enjoyment.

It's just for enjoyment.Speaking of enjoyment, let's get some food.Thank you so much for your time.I think someone's eaten the food.