Inspirational Cristiano Ronaldo giving Lionel Messi a run for his money, says Virat Kohli

New Delhi: Virat Kohli might be one of the most inspirational names, not just in cricket but in sports overall, but the Indian Test captain admits to be seeking inspiration from none other than on of the best footballers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo.

With 1215 runs in Tests and over 2500 plus runs across all formats in 2016, Virat has been experiencing best of his form and he feels he understands his game a lot better than he used to.

"It can be put down to understanding my game a lot better than I used to. Being happy with the ability I have, the sort of drawbacks that I have. I understand my flaws and strengths nicely," Kohli told ecb.Co.Uk during an interaction.

"It's also about finding the right balance. People talk about not having flaws and it's wrong. Everyone has flaws and consistency is nothing but overcoming those flaws and finding the ability to score runs in Test format, especially which I wanted to find within my game. I feel in happy space knowing exactly where my game is going," said the dashing batsman.

Kohli held special praise for Ronaldo's work ethic, which is something that the Indian batsman wants to emulate.

"I take a lot of inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo. The way he has stayed on top for so many years, it's nothing but down to hard work. I have heard he is the most hardworking footballer in the world and that's why he is where he is. Messi is a freak (genius) but this guy (Ronaldo) is giving him run for his money because of his hard work," Kohli opined.

Kohli said that pressure of performance is something that he has embraced as one can't run away from it.

"It's about how you perceive that situation. It's very similar when you go out to bat. Either you see four slips standing at the back or you see the boundaries only.

"The external pressure, I have started enjoying it rather than running away from it because if I run away from it, it may come back to hound me and catch me and put me down to a level that I can't imagine. So I have to take it along with me and find a way to deal with it."

(With PTI inputs)