Virat Kohli may be batting a like a dream even on difficult pitches, but the World No 1 batsman admitted he is under pressure every time he goes out to bat and that he was “glad he felt like that.”
“I would say that's a lie if I say I'm not under pressure,” he said when told that he doesn’t seem to be under pressure. “I'm probably good at hiding it, so that's why you feel like that. Everyone feels pressure. Everyone feels butterflies in their stomach. I'm glad that I feel like that. If I don't, then probably I don't have enough motivation to play anymore because, when you walk up to bat, you don't necessarily look at the number of runs you've scored or what you've done in your career. It's about that particular day. That is the excitement that all of us carry as international cricketers is to walk into a pressure situation and come out on top and feel like, yes, we've done something for the team today,” he elaborated.
Mohammad Shami has filled in for the injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar effectively, taking eight wickets in just two matches. Kohli knows he will face a selection dilemma once Bhuvneshwar gets fit, but he feels it’s a happy headache to have.
“Look, the great thing about Bhuvi is, obviously, we've known him for years now,” he began. “He's been a world-class bowler, and he's a permanent starter for us in the shorter formats. Shami, in the last year and a half, has come around amazingly well. I've never seen him fitter, more hungry to take wickets, and he knows how to pick wickets. Even in the last game, the way he was bowling with the new ball on a pitch that was dry, that was amazing. Look, he has that hunger within him, and he's bowling really, really well at the moment.
“Bhuvi is recovering very fast. When he gets fit, it's going to be a bit of a headache for us to see what we're going to do, but we'll take the best call for the team at that moment, and I'm sure everyone will understand,” he explained.
Kohli said he was a bit surprised by the way England have struggled in the tournament after promising so much.
“We thought England are probably going to dominate in their own conditions, but as I said at the beginning of the tournament in the press conference, that pressure is going to be a massive factor to handle and low scores are going to be defended,” he pointed out. “I said that because I have played two World Cups and that usually happens in such a big tournament where all teams are very strong.”
“So, anyone can beat anyone on the day. We got a scare from Afghanistan, another low-scoring game against the West Indies. So, you can't take anything for granted. It's the way it is right now. The other teams have outplayed England on occasions, and that can happen to any side. Although we haven't lost a game until now, we still can't be complacent as a side. The reason why we won all the games that we've played is because we've been very professional and precise in pressure moments. It is a bit surprising, but I expected something like that in the World Cup, where teams are going to be put under pressure.”