Virat Kohli's interview with Suryakumar Yadav leaves fans in awe

An interview of India batter Virat Kohli conducted by his national teammate Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) is currently wowing fans on social media.

An interview of India's premier batter Virat Kohli conducted by his national teammate Suryakumar Yadav (SKY) is currently wowing fans on social media.

“Literally the best Virat Kohli can do to encourage a youngster/junior, it will definitely do a world of good to Suryakumar Yadav in the future. Virat's communication skills are very good indeed,” an admirer wrote on Twitter.

“Virat is a champ.. genuinely loves the success of teammates,” another added.

“Second loud cheer will be for Surya after Kohli as soon as a batter enters the ground! Kohli rightly pointed out that! Crowd loves him!” a third claimed.

The video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came a day after Virat Kohli broke several records along his way to a 45th hundred in ODIs, which was also his 73rd century in international cricket.

Of mutual admiration 🤝, dealing with expectations & starting the year with a glorious 💯

A conversation that will brighten up your Wednesday morning as @surya_14kumar chats with centurion @imVkohli 😃- By @ameyatilak

Full interview 🔽 #TeamIndia #INDvSL https://t.co/VVfjt19zRM pic.twitter.com/StExnar1V1

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2023

En route, the Delhi-born cricketer became the fastest to reach 45 hundreds and 12,500 runs in One-Day Internationals.

While Sachin Tendulkar needed 424 innings to complete 45 tons in ODIs, the Delhi-born batter only required 257 knocks to get there. Additionally, Virat Kohli achieved 12,500 runs in 257 ODI innings, ahead of the Little Master who did it in 310.

Virat Kohli also has the most centuries in international cricket as a non-opener.

Besides the above-mentioned milestones, he became the first man to score at least nine centuries against two different teams in ODI cricket.

Previously, both Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar had 9 tons each against West Indies and Australia respectively. The legendary cricketers had collected 8 hundreds each against Sri Lanka as well. But with his century against Dasun Shanaka and his men, Virat Kohli now stands alone in the list with 9 centuries against both Sri Lanka and West Indies.

The 34-year-old matched Sachin Tendulkar's record of making the most number of centuries on home soil as well. Both Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli now have 20 tons each in India.

The number of knocks Virat Kohli took to reach there though was far less compared to Sachin Tendulkar. While Little Master needed 160 innings to hit 20 centuries in ODIs at home, the India No.3 accomplished the feat in only 99 knocks.

In the backdrop of Virat Kohli's these accomplishments, Suryakumar Yadav seems to be enjoying his company as he could be seen handling the mic, posing questions to the former about his journey to 45 ODI tons.

Their interaction began on a fun note, with Surya reminding the 34-year-old batter that it was the other way around a few days ago when it was Kohli who had interviewed him.

“Asia Cup mein aapne mera interview liya tha. Naye saal mein, merko opportunity mil raha hai aapka interview lene ka. Thank you, jo bhi mujhe ye opportunity diya (You had interviewed me in the Asia Cup and in this new year, I am getting the opportunity to interview you. Thank you to whosoever gave me this opportunity),” Suryakumar Yadav said in the clip.

Suryakumar Yadav then discussed Virat Kohli's extended lean patch with the bat which lasted nearly three years.

“Runs were flowing from your bat for about 4-5 years then in the last 1-2 years (there was a dip) what did you do during that time that you can again have started to reap the rewards in 2023?” SKY, who wasn't a part of the side in the first game, asked Virat Kohli.

Responding to Surya, Virat Kohli revealed that frustration had crept into his mind after repeated failures and even his intensity had dropped in practice sessions.

“I said the same thing in the post-match (presentation). Now you'll also experience the same thing when you play more and more. People will look at you differently. Now when Surya goes out to play, people are thinking “Surya will do it”. Keeping up with that is a very intense process. Jab tak aapka cricket accha chal raha hota hai, form accha hota hai, these things flow well. But when there is a dip, in my case, frustration started creeping in because I wanted to play the way I do, I wanted to perform to the expectation but cricket wasn't allowing me. It was a challenging period. For that reason, I got away from the game plan,” Virat Kohli said.

“My attachments, my desires had totally taken over. That's when I realised, I can't be away from who I am. I have to be true to myself. Even when I am vulnerable, I'm not playing well, I'm the worst player around, I have to accept it, I can't be in denial because then you can get very cranky, and snappy in your space, which is not good at all. It was not fair to anyone around me like Anushka, my close ones. It's not fair for those who support you all the time to keep seeing you in that space. I had to put things in perspective and put things in order,” Virat Kohli concluded.