SportsPosted at: Sep 27 2026 11:10PM


Kohli looks beyond milestones, targets a 'new version' of himself

Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 27 (UNI) Virat Kohli has spent much of his extraordinary ODI career chasing records, but on Sunday, even as he became the fastest batsman to reach 15,000 runs in the format, he revealed that his next target is not another number but a "new version" of himself.
The former India captain's unbeaten 139 off 88 balls against West Indies provided a compelling glimpse of that version — aggressive, high-tempo and fearless, yet controlled enough to carry India to an eight-wicket victory in the opening ODI.
Kohli said the challenge at this stage of his career was to raise his game by another gear or two rather than simply accumulate milestones.
"I've got a challenge at this stage of my career to kind of up the ante and play a gear or two higher," he said after his match-winning knock.
The milestone came almost as a footnote to an innings that underlined Kohli's changing approach. Asked about reaching 15,000 ODI runs, he insisted that records had never been his primary motivation.
"My focus has never really been on these milestones. It's just understanding the situation along the course of just doing the job for the team. Achievements come along," he said.
The 37-year-old said his ability to play with a free mind was closely linked to his physical preparation.
"I think to follow a free mind, you need a fit body. So for me it works the other way around. I stay physically fit and then I'm able to visualize the game in the way that I want to play," Kohli said.
That freedom, he added, has allowed him to embrace a more attacking template while maintaining the judgement accumulated through years at the highest level.
Kohli said he had promised himself that he would continue to play positively but understood the distinction between calculated aggression and reckless batting.
"I promised myself I'm going to play positively because I can. So I'm going to continue to play like that, but not be reckless," he said.
"There's a fine line which, as a professional, as an experienced player, I should have the ability to execute in this way without playing reckless shots and get the team through."
His approach assumes added significance with the 2027 World Cup now a year away. Kohli said his goals were clear and every ODI opportunity would be used to work on different aspects of his game, remain physically fit and maintain his intensity in the field.
"I just want to enjoy every day. So when I get an opportunity, I feel happy rather than feeling anxiety or pressure to make the most of it," he said.
The innings also produced another important partnership, this time with Shubman Gill, whom Kohli described as "the top ODI batter in the world".
Kohli said Gill's understanding of how to win games from different situations made it easy for the two to build partnerships.
"There's not much that needs to be said to him. It's just about stringing in partnerships and making sure we do justice to the ability and the talent we have in this team," he said.
For Kohli, the evolution is therefore not simply about scoring faster. It is about approaching the latter part of his career with greater clarity and less anxiety.
He said he was now "very grateful and happy", and wanted to enjoy every opportunity to represent India rather than become consumed by the attention and expectations surrounding him.
His advice to younger players reflected the same philosophy: forget the noise outside the boundary and give everything once on the field.
"Once you enter the ground, this is everything, and it should be everything for you guys. And just put your body on the line," he said.
On a night when he rewrote another statistical record, Kohli's message was strikingly simple: the numbers may continue to follow, but the real challenge now is to keep discovering what he can still become.
UNI BDN
Tags: #Kohli looks beyond milestones# targets a 'new version' of himself
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