IND vs WI | I had to remind myself I am not a slogger, reveals Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli revealed that he had to re-analyse his innings in the middle and understand that he must rely more on his timing rather than just slogging. Kohli inititally was struggling for timing but later ended up playing a stellar knock of 94* to help his team chase down a mammoth target of 208.
India completed their highest successful run-chase in T20Is by chasing 208 with eight balls to spare, thanks to an absolute masterclass from skipper Virat Kohli who scored 94* off just 50 balls. But the start of his innings was not that good as he managed to score only 20 of the first 20 balls. He later realized that he was trying to hit the ball too hard and then had to re-analyze that he must rely more on his timing.
" I didnāt want to put KL (Rahul) under pressure but I couldnāt get going. Luckily got that one over from (Jason) Holder, and then I began to analyze where I was going wrong,ā Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
At one point, although India had nine wickets in hand, there was just 7-8 overs remaining and India needed 12Ā an over afterwards. The dismissal of KL Rahul later made things even more complex but Kohli had to keep faith on his timing and that one six off Jason Holder's bowling seemed to turn on the switch for him and he began to time the ball instead of trying to overhit it.
It was an absolute exhibition of shots as Kohli showed rightly why is arguably the best batsman in the world as far as white-ball cricket is concerned. The west indies bowlers had no answer to his unbelievable timing and strokeplay and India ended up winning in a canter by six wickets and more than an over to spare.
āI realised Iām not a slogger but a timer instead, and then changed my playing style. Iām not someone who wants to entertain by hitting in the air. The aim is not to play slam-bangĀ cricket,ā he remarked.
āOne of us, Rohit or I, has to play long in this team. Thatās the role I play in every team I play in. BasicĀ fundaĀ (theory) is that I donāt want to change my game too much for T20Is. Iām an all-format player. I just want to score runs every game,ā KohliĀ asserted.
.@imVkohli on being asked about the 'notebook celebration': "Play hard but respect the opponent" šš#INDvWI #SpiritOfCricket pic.twitter.com/Yku21Gtht0
ā BCCI (@BCCI) December 6, 2019
Kohli also indulged in a bit of theatre on the field when Kesrick Williams came on to bowl the 16th over, mimicking Williams' celebration of writing in a notebook after having hit the bowler for a four and a six. Kohli showed he had a long memory, having remembered Williams celebrating in that manner when he dismissed the Indian in 2017.
"It happened to me in Jamaica when he got me out, so I thought I'll tick a few in the notebook as well," Kohli said. "But all good. There were a few words out there but smiles in the end. That's what you want to see: good competitive cricket, but at the end of the day we shake hands and give each other a high-five. That's what cricket is all about: play it hard, but at the end, just have respect for your opponents."