Virat Kohli reflects on criticism around aggressive on-field persona: ‘I don’t feel great about those things…’

Virat Kohli got candid about a lot of topics in a recent interaction where he talked about his aggression and how it has tapered down over time. Kohli also acknowledged that his aggression does have a tendency to go overboard but his starting point has always been of care. 

Speaking at the RCB Innovational Lab Indian Sports Summit (via ESPNCricinfo), Kohli said, “It’s naturally kind of getting tapered down again…People are not happy about that either. I don’t know what to do, to be honest. Earlier, my aggression was a problem, now my calmness is a problem. It’s like, I have no idea what needs to be done, that’s why I don’t focus on it much.” 

“The kind of person I am, the kind of personality I have, yes, I do have tendencies to kind of go overboard. And I’ve never shied away from that. But the starting point is, okay, sometimes it might not have gone out with the right intent, but more often than not, the starting point has been of care. I want this all to be an event that helps my team win. That’s why you see the celebration that I have when we pick up a wicket in a tight situation. Because I’m like, yes, this is exactly what needs to happen. And I represent it like that.” the veteran batter added. 

Kohli on being competitive: 

Kohli confirmed that his competitiveness has not gone down well over the years while his aggression has tapered down a bit. 

While refraining from naming any particular instance, Kohli acknowledged that his aggression has got the better of him in the recent past. 

“My competitiveness has not gone down. So, I think for a lot of people, it’s very difficult to process how is the competitiveness going to be at the same level if the aggression is not. You can still be aggressive in your mind, but you don’t necessarily need to express it out there every now and then out of frustration, which I have – I mean, in the recent past as well, which is not a great thing, to be honest, I don’t feel great about those things myself.” Kohli added.