What keeps Kohli ticking and why he loves No 3

‘The reason I feel more at home at No 3 is I’ve played a lot of games there’

‘I feel confident that I can control the game better at No 3’

No matter what the format, India’s batting hopes have always been majorly dependent on Virat Kohli in the last few years.

While he captains the Test team, he is the batting mainstay in the other two formats and is more often than not expected to play a match-winning innings every time he steps out on to the middle.

If you look at the ongoing series against South Africa, in the space of three weeks, Kohli has already featured in six international matches -- two T20Is (one was washed out), and four One-Day Internationals.

If you expected him to sound a bit exhausted or looking desperately for the next break, you would be surprised. In fact, Kohli is egging for more!

After a cracking century in the fourth ODI in Chennai, which lifted India to victory, the right-hander is desperately looking towards Sunday’s series decider.

The 26-year-old revealed the secret of his never-ending appetite for runs and also what keeps him ticking so consistently across all formats.

“You got to the gym six times a week, you eat healthy, and you get proper sleep. I think those things matter especially in this day and age. It might sound very boring but these are the things I keep a check on a daily basis. The meals that you eat, the kind of training that you put in, the kind of recovery and rest that you put in, I think all that comes together when you are playing all the three formats otherwise it is very hard for your body to sustain it. And if your body is not supporting what you are doing then you are not able to focus mentally as well,” Kohli said in Mumbai on Saturday.

His bulging biceps and muscular frame made sure that Virat Kohli was the cynosure of the Indian team's practice session at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday.

Minutes later he was addressing the media where he stressed the importance of building one’s physical strength which he believes proves vital when playing in hot and humid conditions like has been witnessed in this series so far.

“You require physical strength for you to be able to focus mentally and do what you are doing. You might be mentally very strong but if your body gives up after 40 or 50 runs there is no use of you being able to think about the game. So I think both go hand in hand, you need to find different ways of keeping yourself physically fit and mentally fresh at the same time and it is very important to go away from the game as well as much as possible. Lot of times we end up over-practicing or being into the game too much but we don’t realise how many games we play, how many practice sessions we have anyways. So the little windows we have like we have after this series that time is very important to manage. If you get too desperate to keep working or over-practicing then your body will be fatigued. So, I think all these matters have to be kept in mind,” he claimed.
Kohli, who hit a century after 13 innings in the previous match in Chennai, sounded delighted at getting back to his favourite No 3 position in the ODI team. 

He failed with the bat when he was sent in at No 4 in the first two games but came back to his best form when restored to No 3, hitting 77 and 138 in the last two games.

“The reason I feel more at home at No 3 is I’ve played a lot of games there. I know I have a decent record at No 4 but I’ve played only 30 odd games there. The rest 120-130 games I’ve played at No 3. That’s where I realised what my game was in international cricket, batting at No 3. I’m sure and confident of my ability at No 3 that I can stabilize the innings and hold one end so that the team can benefit. That has always been my mindset.

Even if we’re chasing, I have the option of seeing the scoreboard and analyzing the situation and play accordingly. I can choose the bowlers to hit boundaries and execute that. I feel confident that I can control the game better at No 3. As a batting unit, you need one guy to bat through. Off late Rohit (Sharma) has been doing it for us beautifully. That’s one aspect I felt good about last game. Even if Rohit or (Shikhar) Dhawan don’t work, I can bat through for the team,” he added.