The cricketing season of 2014-15 was the one Virat Kohli would never forget. It was the season of a new beginning for him and Team India. He took over the Test captaincy from MS Dhoni in the middle of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, in Australia. With the bat, he scaled new peaks with 692 runs in that series including four centuries.
In the 2015 ICC World Cup that followed, Virat kick-started India’s campaign in style with a match-winning 107 against Pakistan. To end the season, he led India to a historic Test series triumph in Sri Lanka.
To cap off an exciting season, Virat was conferred the Polly Umrigar Award, given to India’s best international cricketer, at the BCCI Awards 2014-15.
Virat recalled the beginning of it all – his gutsy and determined knock of 141 in the first Test of the Australian tour, in the pursuit of a tough target of 364. India fell short by 48 runs, but it set the ball rolling on a tightly fought Test series.
“I had heard that when you play international cricket, you keep working hard, and one odd day things just happen for you,” Virat said. “You prepare the same way for every game and every innings, but on some day you play as if you’re possessed. During that innings in Adelaide, I didn’t have any thoughts in my head except for the target, which was 364. I did not pay attention to 50, 100 or whatever I was on. I was just watching the ball and reacting. It was one of the better mindsets I have been in while batting.”
Although India lost the series 2-0, the Indian team came back with their pride intact. There was never a moment when they gave up the fight. For Virat, it was all he wanted from his team in his first series as India’s captain.
“From the team’s point of view the start is very important – the start of something you want to achieve,” Virat said. “What we did on the Australia tour last year was very special for me; not only the way I performed, but the kind of cricket we played as a team. It was the most special time of my career till now.
“I hope we can better that, but I want to congratulate the whole team for playing with such heart and passion, and for maintaining it throughout the tour. That motivated me further to go out there and do what I did.”
Another significant performance from Virat’s bat came at the same ground in India’s ICC World Cup 2015 game against Pakistan. “It was a very special innings. It was the first game of the World Cup and that too against Pakistan, which is always massive,” he said.
”We did not play very well in the tri-series before that. I remember waking up on the morning of the match and looking out my room window. I saw this bridge that connects the Adelaide Oval to the hotel and I saw some 3000 people there with their musical instruments, flags and what not. It just hit me that I have to be in the stadium in three hours, playing in front of these people. I saw the frenzy and challenged myself to do what I do best for the team. I was very happy to be able to do it,” he said.
