Bengaluru: India captain Virat Kohli has recalled the time when he failed to make the state team and was dejected. The Delhi batsman revealed he cried that night and “howled” till three in the morning.

At the moment, Kohli is arguably the best batsman across formats. However, he too had to go through the disappointment of not being picked by Delhi selectors.

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“The first time I was rejected in the state selections, I remember it was late at night and I just cried. I howled till about three in the morning and I could not believe it,” the 31-year-old Kohli said during a live online class organised by Unacademy on Tuesday (April 21).

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He added, “Because I scored well, everything was going perfectly for me. I performed till I reached that stage and I was rejected. And I kept asking my coach for two hours, why didn't it happen? And I couldn't make sense of it. But when there is passion and commitment, that motivation comes back to you.”

Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma spoke to students during the live online class. The right-handed batsman also spoke about what he has learnt from Anushka since meeting her for the first time in 2013.

“To be honest, the patience bit I’ve learnt after I met Anushka. I was a very impatient person before. It’s about the learnings from one another that we have had… Looking at her personality, her composure in different situations, it has really inspired me to fight it out. Even when things are tough, you have to swallow your ego and keep fighting. Eventually, you will find a way out. That’s what I’ve seen her do and I’ve learnt from that. I apply that now whenever I face a situation when things are totally against me,” Kohli, who married Anushka in 2017, said.

The owner of many cricket records, Kohli said there is no substitute to hard work in order to succeed. “When you love something so much, and are willing to give everything you have for it, the belief comes by itself. Honest hard work will always give you a lot of belief in your journey, despite the ups and downs. So keep persevering, there is no magic wand, no cheat code to success… It’s only hard work,” he said.