'My aggression was a problem, now my calmness is a problem' - Virat Kohli's funny remark on his on-field personality
"The kind of person I am, the kind of personality I have, yes, I do have tendencies to kind of go overboard," Virat Kohli said.
Star Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has always been one of the most passionate and expressive players on the field. However, the 36-year-old batter recently revealed how his aggression and calmness have become a talking point. Kohli humorously admitted that he has stopped paying attention to outside opinions since he has no clue what people expect from him.
Throughout his career, the right-handed batter has never shied away from expressing his emotions, whether with aggressive celebrations, animated reactions, or verbal exchanges. However, in recent years, Kohli has displayed a much calmer attitude. This change has grabbed eyeballs, with some now questioning his intensity. Addressing this, the Delhi-born man said he does not know what should be done.
"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," Kohli said during the RCB Innovational Lab Indian Sports Summit.
He explained that his personality naturally was aggressive, which sometimes led him to go overboard on the field. However, he stressed that his intentions were always positive and for helping his team succeed.
"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," he added
My competitiveness has not gone down: Virat Kohli
Furthermore, the veteran batter mentioned how his celebration style has evolved. While he used to display raw emotions frequently in the past, his priorities have shifted.
"For a lot of people, it might not have been something that they're able to process. But for me, it always comes from the right place. While batting, of course, it puts me in a different place. Because I don't have small, regular events to get excited about. I mean, the end goal is finishing the game. And then, yes, I can represent it the way I used to in the past. Again, things are happening naturally with me. It's getting tapered down naturally," Kohli further added.
He also emphasised that people struggle to understand how his competitiveness is unchanged despite his toned-down aggression. The 36-year-old said that it is not necessary to express the aggression every time.
"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," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Kohli will return to action in IPL 2025 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Retained for a whopping INR 21 crore, he will be looking forward to the upcoming season. The side will play the tournament opener against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on March 22.
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