For Virat Kohli, it’s surreal to lead in all formats

Pune: India skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday said captaining in all three formats of cricket is quite “surreal” and he never thought that this day would come in his life.

“It is quite surreal. I never thought this day is going to come to my life. When I came to the team, I was always looking to perform, get more opportunities and build solid consistent career and contribute to the team in winning games,” said the prolific right-handed batsman. Kohli, who was leading the Test side, was appointed as the ODI and T20 skipper last week, after country’s most successful captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down from the position.

The star player, while answering a question on how does it feel to be the skipper in all the three formats, said he never thought the path is going to lead this way. “I feel everything is godsent. Anything happens to you, happens for a reason and happens at a right time in your life,” he added. It was under Kohli’s leadership that the India U-19 team had clinched the colts World Cup in 2008.

Kohli said captaincy is all about understanding the strengths and weaknesses of people around you. “The way I came up in my career is similar. I knew my strengths and weaknesses but people did not like me as such. They were not too pleased with the way I presented myself, the way I was. My mistakes were not acceptable,” said Kohli, who has played 176 ODIs so far.

When asked whether he would find it hard to captain a side with senior players, Kohli said there is a lot of mutual respect in the change room. Kohli said he gets goose bumps thinking of captaining India in World Cup.