Virat Kohli: My confidence stems from the fact that I hate losing

January 10, 2015

Kohli hard time

Sydney, Jan 10: Virat Kohli ended the Test series with 692 runs at 86 but he said was most pleased by the character shown by his teammates, even as India lost the four-match Test series against Australia despite fighting to force a draw on the 5th day in Sydney.

"I am proud of the way we played in this series. The guys have stepped up to show real character and determination in Australia. In Australia, it is never easy," Kohli said during the post-match presentation.

The Indians fought hard in the series despite suffering a 0-2 reverse. In Adelaide, the Kohli-led team decided to go after the target of 364 on a crumbling final day track and fell 48 runs short. They were on-course for a first innings lead in Brisbane before Mitchell Johnson turned the game around with the bat and the ball. They shored up well in Melbourne and Sydney to eke out draws but Kohli hoped that the Australian team viewed this Indian team as worthy competitors. "It could have gone either way," he said. "I am sure Australia would have enjoyed the competition as well."

Speaking about the final day's play in Sydney, the Indian captain said that he wasn't sure if he wanted to go for the target at tea and credited Ajinkya Rahane for shepherding Bhuvneshwar Kumar to see out the remaining overs and force a draw after a point of time when defeat became a strong possibility. "At tea time, I was not 100% sure if we wanted to go for the target. After (Murali) Vijay got out, I thought we could go for it as we wouldn't be coming back here (to play Tests) for sometime now. If it does not happen, it does not happen, but it's worth taking the risk," he said.

"Our second innings was a mixture of intent and patience. Ajinkya Rahane showed a lot of character and determination at the end. Eventually, it was a satisfying result but a win would have been better," Kohli said.

The new Indian Test captain also identified the bowling as an area of improvement for the side and said that he had instructed his bowlers to learn from the opposition. "The batsmen have stepped up but the bowling needs consistency. What matters at the end of the day is taking 20 wickets. Spinners have been our strength in the past and we have to back our strengths. The Australian bowlers know how to set-up the batsman and we have to learn from them. We need to take somethings from the opposition," he said.

I would like to thank the Indian fans for coming out to support us; and also to the Australian fans who gave us a hard time

Kohli also said that he had learnt a lot during the disastrous tour of England in 2014 and made adjustments to his game to become productive again. "I now stand on middle and when I shuffle I get to the off-stump. This way, I have gotten a step ahead of the bowler. I enjoyed batting here but a few knocks in winning causes would have been a lot sweeter. I don't make it a point to play positively. It's the just the way I am. The confidence just stems from the fact that I hate losing."

The flamboyant Indian skipper also had words of praise for the Australian side's resilience to come out and play in the Test series that was marred by the tragic passing away of Phillip Hughes. "The way they composed themselves after the tragic incident, it was very commendable on their part."

Virat Kohli also stated that he wished to see his team gain the respect that Sourav Ganguly's team commanded when they stepped out onto the field in the 2000s. The star batsman then said that he believed India had every chance to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. "Exciting times for us going forward. I believe we can win the title. So far, we have played good cricket in Australia and this experience will help us," he signed off.

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News Network
May 9,2020

May 9: Filipina weightlifting star Hidilyn Diaz noticed live-streamed concerts were collecting money for coronavirus relief and was struck by inspiration: why not raise funds with an online workout?

Since then the Olympic silver-medallist -- and strong contender for her country's first Games gold -- has made enough money to buy food packs for hundreds of hard-hit families in the Philippines.

Diaz has done it all from Malaysia, where she was training to qualify for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics when much of the world locked down against the virus in March.

"I thought (distribution) would be impossible because I'm not physically present," Diaz, 29, told news agency.

"It's a good thing that I have trusted friends and trusted family members who understand why we need to do a fundraising."

That circle of supporters has handed out the packages, which include vegetables, eggs and rice, to more than 400 families.

The food was bought with donations from about 50 people who joined sessions that lasted up to three hours, and gave them a rare chance to train with an elite athlete.

Diaz rose to fame in 2016 after snagging a surprise silver in the 53 kilogramme category in Rio, becoming the Philippines' first female Olympic medallist and ending the nation's 20-year medal drought at the Games.

Two years later, she won gold at the Asian Games in Indonesia.

However, her quest to qualify for Tokyo is on hold ahead of the Games' rescheduled opening in July 2021.

"I thought all the hard work would soon be over... then it was extended," she said. "But I'm still thankful I can still continue with (the training) I need to do."

Still, the lockdown broke her daily training regimen, keeping her away from weights for 14 days for the first time in her career.

"I felt like I was losing my mind already. I've been carrying the barbell for 18 years and all of a sudden it's gone. Those were the kinds of anxiety that I felt," she said.

But she got access to some equipment, and with her coach's urging, got back to work. She was relieved to find her strength was still there.

Instead of a Tokyo berth, the past months have been about a different kind of accomplishment for Diaz: helping her countrymen get through the coronavirus crisis.

Rosemelyn Francisco's family in Zamboanga City, Diaz's home town, is one of the first to get help from the athlete's initiative, and is deeply grateful.

Her family was not wealthy to begin with, and the pandemic has cost her husband his construction job.

"The food she donated has all everything we need, including eggs," said Francisco, 27.

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News Network
March 2,2020

Christchurch, Mar 2: India captain Virat Kohli on Monday said the under-fire Rishabh Pant has got a "lot of chances" but the team is not looking to try someone else in the youngster's place just yet as one player can't be singled out in a collective failure.

Pant has been under the scanner for the past one year because of his inconsistent run. His tally of 60 runs across four innings in the 0-2 Test series loss to New Zealand, which concluded here on Monday, has only amplified the debate whether it was prudent to leave out a keeper of Wriddhiman Saha's calibre and back Pant.

"...we have given him (Pant) a lot of chances in the home season as well starting from Australia. Then he was not playing for a bit. In turn he really worked hard on himself," Kohli came to Pant's defence after the series here.

"You need to figure out when is the right time to give someone else a chance. If you push people too early, they can lose confidence," he added.

"...collectively, we didn't perform. I don't believe in singling him out. We take the hit together as a group whether it's the batting group or as a team."

When asked if he believes Pant has taken his place in the side for granted, Kohli made it clear that the culture of this team doesn't encourage anyone to think along those lines.

"I don't see anyone taking his place for granted in this team. That's the culture we have set. People are told to take responsibilities and work hard. Whether it happens or not is a different thing. Then you can have a conversation with the players," he said.

"But no one has come here thinking I am going to play every game or I am indispensable," he added in no uncertain terms.

Kohli, just like head coach Ravi Shastri, made it clear that Pant can make a difference in overseas conditions and he won't like to deviate during future tours.

"The time that he didn't play, he really worked hard on his game. So we thought this is the right time because of his game and the way he plays because he can make a difference lower down the order.

"That was our planning behind it. We can't really fluctuate when it comes to what we planned," he added.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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