Virat Kohli must channelise pain of defeat to rile himself up: Gautam Gambhir

NEW DELHI: Impressed by the good-natured New Zealand cricketers, Indian captain Virat Kohli had said before the first Test in Wellington that if his side were to share the number one ICC Test spot with any team, it will be the Black Caps. The Indian batting mainstay shares cordial relations with his Kiwi counterpart Kane Williamson and often expressed his admiration for him.
But that has not gone down well with former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir who feels that Kohli needs to charge himself up if India want to level the two-Test series.
In his column for the Times of India, Gambhir wrote, "Sport is a rare profession which can evoke all human emotions, the more apparent ones being happiness and sadness. While these two are the primary ones which form a plot, the rest help build the drama. I am no expert on human emotions but as a sportsperson I have touched all six distinct sentiments at some stage or the other. My closest 'friends' have been fear and anger. I'd like to talk about anger here and how it elevates a performer."
To elaborate his view further, Gambhir went down memory lane when he led Delhi in a Ranji Trophy final against Uttar Pradesh in 2008.
"Let me share a personal anecdote. It was January 2008 and I was leading Delhi in a Ranji Trophy final. It was being played in Mumbai. Our opposition was Uttar Pradesh. I was out for zero in the first innings. I had to cop a lot of criticism about my technique and temperament. I came into this game reasonably focused, as winning the Ranji Trophy was one of my childhood dreams. But I was not as charged up, besides I had a good number of friends in the UP team which left my intensity sub-par. This criticism, led by one of the national selectors, left me extremely angry. It now seems I needed that anger as till then I was not really 'in' that contest. I got a second-innings hundred as Delhi won the Ranji final. I really enjoyed the hundred, including some mocking gestures towards the national selector. So from being disappointed for being criticised to being angry and then being elated after winning Ranji Trophy, the game led me to almost every possible emotion," Gambhir recalled.
It is often said that great players need a contest to wake them up. Gambhir feels that Kohli, who was dismissed for 2 and 19 in the first Test in Wellington, needed to be riled up to let his competitive juices flow.
"From a distance it seems Virat Kohli is in a similar situation. He was asked before the start of this tour if saw it as a revenge series after losing to them in the 2019 World Cup semifinal. At the time Kohli replied, "Even if you want to think of revenge these guys are so nice that you can't get into that zone." I am not sure if this part of Virat Kohli really works for him. He is at his best when he is riled up, when he has a contest. Revenge may be an exaggerated thought but I am not sure of "nice guys" emotion either. I think Kohli is wired up to be that emotionally charged sportsperson who can play a cover drive with calmness of a sage and then lead his troops like an animated cheerleader," Gambhir opined.
Gambhir reckoned that Ravindra Jadeja should be brought in the Indian playing XI for the second Test in place of Hanuma Vihari.
"Game wise, I think Kohli should play five bowlers. He should play Ravindra Jadeja in place of Hanuma Vihari whether the wicket is flat or a green top. A lot is being is said about Prithvi Shaw and his batting style. We just need to increase our patience with the boy's talent. He can serve India for long. The team will do well to shut the windows to keep doubts and naysayers out," Gambhir concluded.