Intensity is the hallmark of his batting and India captain Virat Kohli says he has no idea what he would do if that was gone, the primary reason behind his obsessive focus of physical fitness.
The 29-year-old run-machine slammed his 34th one-day hundred in the third ODI against South Africa on Wednesday, once again playing a pivotal role in a massive India win.
"look I am going to be 30 this year...I want to play this kind of cricket even when I am 34-35. That's why I train so much because I am a guy who likes to play with intensity. Once that is gone, I don't know what I am going to do on the field," Kohli said reflecting on his unbeaten knock of 160, which guided India to a 124-run triumph for an unassailable 3 -0 lead in the series.
"I try to protect that. I try to train as much as I can. Keep a check on my diet. Those things pay off on days like these. When the team needs it, and you stand up, and you are able to pull through. As an athlete you crave for days like these," he added.
Kohli said yesterday's hundred was special in the sense that he had to continuously change his game through the innings. He said these were hard earned runs on a tough wicket against a good bowling attack.
"International runs are never easy. They are hard earned. Some might come on more batting-friendly pitches, but I think with their attack, and the pace and bounce they were getting initially, you had to adjust your game.
"Then the wicket got considerably slower after the 30th over, so you had to again adjust your game, and make sure, with wickets falling also, that you continued adjusting through the innings," Kohli said.
Kohli said thinking of the team's requirements helps him gloss over the physical strains of playing a marathon knock. "I was pleased from that point of view that I was able to bat through because I was struggling with a bit of cramp around the 90s. Then wickets kept falling, I decided to hit out, because I thought I might not have enough energy left.
"Then amazing things can happen when you are thinking about the team all the time. You can push your body beyond limits that you might not push yourself otherwise. I experienced that today, and that was an amazing feeling," he added.
This was Kohli's second highest ODI score. He also became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands. Overall, he scored his 12th ODI hundred as Indian skipper, going past Sourav Ganguly's record of 11 centuries.
Kohli said that there is a marked difference in how he approaches scoring runs when batting first and when chasing.
"Today I wanted to accelerate at different times. When Shikhar Dhawan was batting, my job was to take singles...And keep rotating the strike, to be able to get the partnership going. When he got out I wanted to accelerate but we lost 2-3 wickets immediately.
"When batting first, you switch roles -- one guy is aggressor and you become the guy who is rotating strike. When he goes, you take that role up and another guy rotates strike. That is how it is usually done," he said.
While chasing, Kohli said, it is easier to compartmentalise since the target is already there to be chased.
"Batting second is very different in terms of knowing what you need to do, when to accelerate, when to keep those singles coming, etc. Batting first, you want to score as many as possible but sometimes the situation doesn't allow you to play in a certain way that you want to throughout the innings," he explained.
India have now won three matches in an ODI bilateral series in South Africa for the first time. So much so, they are now on the cusp of a series win should they win the fourth ODI in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Given the Proteas' problems against wrist spin though, there is a possibility of a 6-0 scoreline as well, even if Kohli didn't agree to it just yet.
"We have to make sure we're not letting our guard down because we worked really hard from that last Test to win four games in a row on a tough tour of South Africa. We are really proud of ourselves as a team. But I think the job is not even half done yet.
"It's quite a far fetched thing and still three games to go in the series," he said about the possibility of a 6-0 whitewash.
Kohli promised to up the ante in the remaining three games.
"Biggest positive out of today, with 3-0 up, is that there is no way we can lose the series now. That is certainly something that lifts the team even more. As I said we would have more intensity and more passion when we step out for the fourth game," Kohli signed off.
It's unbelievable: Kohli
India captain Virat Kohli says wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been simply "unbelievable" in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa but remained non-committal on whether they will become Test regulars anytime soon.
Chahal and Yadav have combined for 21 wickets in the first three ODIs of the ongoing six-match series. The South Africans have conceded that they have yet to get a hang of the duo, which has tormented the hosts continuously.
As far as the Test format goes, Yadav made his debut in the longest version last year against Australia and has appeared in a couple of matches so far. Chahal, on the other hand, is yet to get a call-up in the five-dayers.
"We knew they would pick up wickets (here) because these guys have bowled in flatter batting tracks at home. Some might think they have bowled in T20 cricket when the conditions are very difficult and they have picked up wickets on a regular basis there as well," Kohli said .
When asked about the wrist spinners' chances of playing Test cricket, Kohli replied, "Those are things that are quite a bit away from now. look they are obviously making a very strong case for themselves, bowling in these conditions and making breakthroughs like we haven't seen before."
"It's outstanding to see two guys just totally spinning a web around the opposition. There doesn't seem to be a way out at all. It's unbelievable. Taking eight wickets today - outstanding."
Kohli said the duo has been brave in going after wickets even at the risk of conceding a few runs.
"I don't have words to explain this. Credit to them. Both are very brave in terms of how they bowl and the kind of fields they want as well. They are very brave tossing the ball and asking the batsman to come out and play a risky shot.
"Hats off to them but the other debate is a bit away from now. You never know what happens in the future but I am really happy at the moment," he added.
Elaborating on just what is working for Chahal and Yadav here, Kohli said the conditions have been nearly perfect for the duo.
"They feel at the top of their game when they have the pitches supporting them even a little bit. They are brave and even on flatter pitches, wrist spinners will also come into play," he explained.
"They might go for six an over, we knew that but they will pick up 3-4 wickets between them. They have done outstandingly well in the last two games picking up a majority of the wickets in both games and being the difference between both sides," said the skipper.
Kohli said the brief for Chahal and Yadav is quite simple, go for wickets and not worry about the runs.
"They are told to go for wickets at all times. When you are going for wickets you are bowling in areas that are uncomfortable for the batsmen and more often than not they end up defending. So I think all the credit has to go to them because they've executed those lines and lengths perfectly," he said.
"They've always, every over they've asked two-three questions of the batsmen, that is something outstanding. I haven't seen that before. Every over they might pick up two wickets, that's the kind of belief they have in their abilities and the team has a belief in them," he added.
Kohli said both the bowlers will be crucial to India keeping in mind next year's World Cup. "They might get hit for 70-odd in the next game. But there is no problem in that because you know that if they bowl attacking lines then they will end up picking 2-3 wickets every game. We are going to play the World Cup away from home, that I think is going to be the massive factor for us," he said.