Don't get nervous, I'm not making any announcements: Kohli rubbishes retirement rumours
Bengaluru, Mar 15 (PTI): Champion batter Virat Kohli on Saturday emphatically said he is not mulling retirement at the moment as he has been enjoying the game, and the "competitive streak" inside him is very much intact.
Kohli displayed the old spark while playing an important hand in India's recent Champions Trophy victory in Dubai, after which skipper Rohit Sharma too dismissed the retirement talks surrounding him.
"Don't get nervous. I'm not making any announcements. As of now everything is fine. I still love playing the game," Kohli said during a talk session at the RCB Innovation Lab.
Kohli said he no longer aspires to achieve milestones, but he is playing cricket for the "pure joy" of it.
"It's pretty much come down to just the pure joy, enjoyment, competitive streak, and love for the game. And as long as that is there I will continue to play. As I said today I am not playing for any achievement," he said.
Kohli said that innate "competitive streak" makes it tougher for a sportsperson to find the right time to move away from the game.
"You know the competitive streak doesn't allow you to find the answer (for the retirement question). I had a very interesting conversation about this with Rahul Dravid. He said you always have to stay in touch with yourself.
"Figure out where you are placed in your life and the answer is not that easy. You might be going through a lean phase and you feel like this is it. But it might not be. But then when it is time my competitive streak would not allow me to accept it. Maybe one more month.
"Maybe six more months. So I think it's a fine balance. At this point of time in my life I feel pretty happy," he explained.
But Kohli admitted that the advancing age has made the whole process of staying at the top of his game a bit more tough.
"I want to be able to have all my energy in place. Now, it takes much more effort as people who have played the game for a long period of time understand. You can't do so many things in your mid to late 30s that you can in your mid 20s. I'm at a bit of a different place in my life as well.
"I think for me it's a natural progression. I'm sure all these young guys will hopefully get to that place. But now, the energy that's coming out of me feels very peaceful and calm," he said.
The 36-year-old said he has adjusted mentally to the batting failures, which have become an increasingly regular part of his game in the last few years.
Kohli cited his ordinary run against Australia in an away series as a case in point, as he went downhill after making a hundred in the first Test at Perth.
"If you ask me the intensity of how disappointed I've been... for me the most recent Australia tour would be the one that's most fresh. So, it might feel the most intense to me. But I can't look at it that way. I might not have an Australia tour again in me in four years' time.
"I don't have the chance to correct it. So you have to make peace with whatever's happened in your life. Like in 2014 (against England) I still had the chance to go in 2018 and do what I did. It might not have been the case."
Kohli said the key to keep away from pressure will be to shut himself out of the outside noises.
"Once you start thinking of the disappointment from the outside, then you start burdening yourself way more. That's something that I've surely experienced in Australia as well. Because I got a good score in the first Test. I thought, right, let's go.
"There's going to be another big series for me. It didn't turn out that way. How do you cope up with this? For me, it's just about acceptance. This is what happened. I'm going to be honest with myself," he noted.
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Indore water contamination: Mayor says informed of 10 deaths
Indore (PTI): Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava on Friday said he has received information about 10 deaths due to a diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated water in the Bhagirathpura area of the city.
However, local residents have claimed that 14 individuals, including a six-month-old infant, have died due to the health crisis. The health department has not confirmed this claim.
“According to health department data, four people have died due to the diarrhoea outbreak in Bhagirathpura. However, I have received information about 10 deaths due to this outbreak,” Bhargava told PTI.
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To a question about suspected cholera spread in the area based on preliminary test reports of drinking water samples collected from Bhagirathpura, the mayor said only the health department could provide information on the matter.
Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said on Thursday that laboratory test reports from a city medical college had confirmed that the drinking water from the locality was contaminated due to a leakage in a pipeline.
The CMHO, however, did not share the detailed findings of the report. Administrative officials have also been avoiding giving clear information about it.
Officials said a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in Bhagirathpura, at a spot over which a toilet has been constructed. They claimed the leakage led to contamination of the water supply.
More than 1,400 people have been affected by vomiting and diarrhoea in Bhagirathpura over the past nine days.
A health department official, citing the situation till Thursday night, said that 272 patients were admitted to hospitals in the area, of whom 71 have been discharged.
The official said 32 of the 201 patients currently hospitalised are undergoing treatment in intensive care units.
