Kohli’s desperation to win games for his side is massive: Aiden Markram

South African stand-in skipper Aiden Markram was very graceful in defeat after team India thumped the Proteas 5-1 in the 6-match ODI series. In the post match press conference, Markram spoke at length about the various propositions of the series and reflected back at what went wrong for the hosts. More than anything else, Markram looked very impressed by the way his opposition number, Virat Kohli, fared up.

Aiden Markram, as per the quotes in Sportstarlive, remarked that the desperation and hunger that Virat Kohli shows on the field to win matches is immense. He feels that there is a whole lot that he can learn from the Indian captain. Kohli aggregated over 500 runs in the series and smashed 3 centuries.

“Kohli’s desperation to win games for his side is massive. And that’s why he condemns himself (on mistakes) like he does. It’s all from a competitive point of view and it’s nothing malicious. That desperation shows when he bats – he doesn’t just gets his side close to the line, he gets them over it. So there are a lot of things I can learn from him (Kohli). There are a lot of things I can learn from their team as a whole, and from us as a whole. I am taking little pieces from here and there,” Aiden Markram quoted.

Kohli made the difference

Commenting further on the same note, Aiden Markram conceded that it was Virat Kohli who was the difference between the two sides in the series. Also, the Indian spinners – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav – need special appreciation for their efforts as well. Markram was happy to give away all the due credits.

“He made a massive difference. He is obviously in incredible touch and showing it. His hunger for runs and desperation to finish games is up there with the very best, and that’s why he is one of the best players in the world. He has been one of the differences and their spinners have also played a massive role. But he’s had a great series and credit must be given where it is due,” the South African stand-in skipper quoted.

On lessons learnt

Speaking further, Auden Markram admitted that the defeat has been a hard pill to swallow. More than it being an embarrassing scoreline of 5-1, the defeat has been a disappointing one, reckoned Markram. He noted that the team is certainly going to take their lessons from the defeat and come back stronger in the matches to follow. On the individual front, he noted that he has very high standards set for himself.

And to have failed to stand up to the occasion is something that hurt him. Hence, he is keen on taking lessons from this series and implementing them in the future. Also, he is happy to take lessons on the captaincy front.

“It was always going to be tough. It was something I was looking forward to and a challenge that I enjoy. I can still say that sitting here having lost a series 5-1, it was a responsibility that I enjoy. I learnt a lot and at this stage of my career and that’s not a bad thing. Going forward, I am going to take the lessons I did learn. The experience of dealing with other pressures will help me grow as a player,” Markram mentioned.

“As an individual, I set high standards for myself, and not having done well, this series there was that form of pressure as well. So there are various forms of pressure – captaincy is just one of them. But like I mentioned, it is a pressure I enjoy and I would like to enjoy it more in the future,” he added.

On the remarks made by Ottis Gibson

Recently, the head coach of the South African team, Ottis Gibson had remarked that the players in the side are living up to the potential. He had also looked visibly unhappy with the way skipper Aiden Markram fared up in the series. He believes that it was the pressure of captaincy that somewhere caught up with the youngster. Commenting on the same, Markram was humble enough in admitting the claims of Gibson.

He remarked that the coach has every right to scrutinize how the things worked in the series and how they did not. Also, he pointed out that he needs to structure his innings a lot better getting in to the assignments that lie ahead for him in the international arena.

“He’s (Gibson) got full right to say that just by watching with the naked eye. I wasn’t playing the usual game I do play, and whether that was due to various pressure or not being in the zone or in the moment is probably the reason. He’s spot-on with what he says, we did chat about it and today when I was batting I felt in a more comfortable space,” Markram conceded.

“I felt I was structuring my innings how I would if I was batting in a franchise game. It’s very late in the series but it’s a positive that I was able to overcome that obstacle. It’s moving in the right direction I suppose,” he conceded further.

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