Took it as two T20 match while chasing against Sri Lanka in Hobart, reveals Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli prospers in a run-chase
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Virat Kohli has stated that his approach to the Hobart ODI match against Sri Lanka was that of taking it as two T20 games, which eventually became a fruitful one. Kohli has further revealed that chasing gives him clarity of the situation which propels him to break the game down in parts.
Virat Kohli might have played many memorable innings during his over-a-decade-long international career, but none has been as eye-catching as his century against Sri Lanka in Hobart nine years ago. To qualify for the finals, India had to better Sri Lanka by 25% in the game and with the kind of form they were in, it was laughable to suggest that they could do it.
With nothing to lose, Kohli played the innings of his life, making Nuwan Kulasekara a joke, Lasith Malinga’s yorker a foundation to his flicks and of course, smashing the hell out of Thisara Perera. Nine years down the line, Kohli reminisced about that particular game, saying he broke that match into two T20 run-chases which helped his cause.
"When it comes to chasing targets, my mental state is simple -- if someone says something to me from the opposition side, then I get more motivated. When I was younger, I used to watch matches on television. If India did not end up winning the match while chasing targets, I used to think if I was there, I would have won the match," Kohli told Tamim Iqbal on Instagram Live.
"There was a game in Hobart against Sri Lanka, where we had to chase 330 odd in 40 overs to qualify for the finals. I discussed with Raina that we will set up the chase as if we are playing two T20 matches.”
A modern-day chase master, there has been no one in the history of the sport who does it better than him. That he can play around the situations and manage to get the better of the opposition planning more often than not made him a player to look up to. Kohli gave a further sneak peek into that trait.
"Chasing is a situation where you know how many runs you have to score. For me winning is important. While chasing I think I can walk out not out. At that time I think I can make the team win. If the target is 370/380, I never feel like that it cannot be done," he added.
