Love to Watch Cristiano Ronaldo Play, Says Virat Kohli

In the middle of the Indian Premier League season some cricketers who are self- confessed football fans have taken time out to promote the beautiful game and usher in the FIFA World Cup fever that begins in a month's time. Virat Kohli, the busy Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, took time out to talk about his love for football, being a die-hard fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and rooting for Germany in the upcoming tournament.

Q: Do you think that celebrity football fans are giving the game a push in India and that things are about to change?

A.Especially at this event it's great to see so many kids being so passionate about football and it's something that we enjoy playing as well. Football is a sport that is loved globally and it's great to see so many kids having an interest in football apart from cricket as well in India. I really hope this sport grows in India because there are so many people that love football in India. We need to have a good infrastructure and more players coming out of India. I completely love the sport and its personally heartening to see so many kids having a lot of interest in football apart from cricket also.

Q. Why did you pick cricket over football?

A: Well,  I played a number of sports when I was growing up. I used to run in school as well. I used to play football, a liitle bit of tennis, badminton. Everything I could get hold of I used to play. I developed a passion for cricket but I love other sports also and I'm very keen on playing any sport that I can at any point of time. I love testing myself and seeing if I can probably play that sport and at what skill level I'm at in that particular sport. So that's something that really interests me and keeping fit is one of my priorities.

Q: Which team are you rooting for in FIFA World Cup?

A: Well yeah I'm wearing the Germany national jersey so Germany is my team this World Cup. I have always supported them and it's a team that is very powerful every year in the World Cup and I really hope that they go all the way this time.

Q: At the club level, you root for Real Madrid?

A: Yeah I support Real Madrid. Its mainly because of Cristiano Ronaldo. I used to support Manchester United when he was playing there. Now my loyalties have shifted because of him. I think he is a truly amazing player. I love watching him play. So Ronaldo has to be the one and I will keenly be following Portugal as well but as I said my support is for Germany this time.

Q: How do you compare the English Premier League football with the IPL?

A: Over there it's more of a question of how many foreign players you can include in your team to make it stronger. In tournaments such as the IPL you have a set rule of playing few of the Indian players which gives a lot of opportunities to younger players to showcase their talent.  I don't think that we see a lot of that in the EPL. It is logical for them to include players who will match up with the opponents, have the same skill level as players of some of the other teams. So I think that its pretty logical for each league to have its own unique set of rules, whatever works for a particular league. The EPL is one of the most famous leagues in the world and they have their own agenda, their own thinking. I would not compare the two.

Q: How do you compare the stress levels and pressure on individuals across sports?

A: Well yeah I mean it's something that you choose to think personally as a player. It's your choice on how much stress you want to take about performing in each and every game. So it's something that you need to understand as a sports person that you won't be at the same level of consistebcy and performance all the time andits important to take it in your stride. It is important not to sulk too much and get too low on confidence. It's all a part of the journey. It's very important what you think of yourself rahter than what people say and write about you.

Q: You are the most searched player on google in this year's IPL? What do you think of that?

A: Well I did not know about that. Now that you have told me I do not know how to react to that. I dont really pay attention to these things. If people are searching for me on a regular basis then I guess that I should feel good about it. As I said I dont really think about these things or I'm not aware about these things too much.

Q: Virat Kohli and his ability in run-chases are well-documented. How does it work well irrespective of the situation you come out to bat?

A: Well it's probably a different way of looking at things. Its very easy to choose the easier way out. At the end of the day you have got to decide what works for yourself and stick to that and mentally be strong enough to follow that. So that's all I look to do.