KOHLI’S ‘HAPPY SPACE’

Having Introspected On His Recent Struggles With Form, The Star Batter Now Seems Calmer, More Accepting. He Also Seems Closer To Rediscovering His Groove, Which Is Good News For Team India...

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Dubai: When Virat Kohli met the press following Sunday's match against Pakistan, he instructed the media manager to not ignore anyone.

It was his first interaction with the media since he relinquished Test captaincy in January.

These days, Kohli seems to exude an unusual calm. The chest-thumping persona seems to have taken a backseat. In the past, especially in press conferences, there would be an air of bravado around Kohli, a sort of in-your-face intensity. On Sunday, he appeared relaxed, laidback even.

His comments about MS Dhoni being the only person who messaged him after he gave up Test captaincy have now gone viral. But the crux of that statement was that Kohli believes he can now see through people.

"When you have respect for someone and that's genuine, then it looks like that because there is a sense of security on both sides," he said of Dhoni's gesture. "Somehow, I live my life with honesty, and I can see through these things. I won't say these things don't bother me, but you see the truth." He spoke without aggression.

The past eight months have not been easy on Kohli. From being someone who called all the shots to having his place questioned in the T20 squad, it has been an unnerving time.

As head coach Rahul Dravid pointed out, the world has been obsessed with Kohli's stats and his lack of form. On Sunday, he finally seemed to strike form in a crunch game and contributed a crucial half-century. By Kohli's own admission, he has spent the last few months knowing himself.