Virat Kohli is back in top form, scoring 376 runs in his last four ODIs with two centuries and feeling liberated. After a Player of the Series award, he expressed his best rhythm in years, contributing to India’s series win. Kohli, who holds the world record with 53 ODI centuries, rated his 135 in Ranchi as his best knock of the series.
NEW DELHI:Virat Kohli has been in exceptional form, scoring 376 runs in his last four ODIs with two centuries and being dismissed only twice. After winning the Player of the Series award for his 302 runs in the three-match series against South Africa, Kohli said he felt liberated and in his best rhythm in years, contributing to India securing their 10th ODI series win out of the last 11 at home.
His resurgence follows criticism after recording consecutive ducks in Australia. In the final ODI against South Africa, Kohli scored an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls as India chased down 271 in 39.5 overs.
“Honestly, playing the way I have in the series is the most satisfying thing for me. I feel really free in my mind. I haven’t played like this in 2-3 years. The whole game is coming together nicely. I’ve tried to maintain my own standards and make an impact.I know when I can bat like that in the middle, it helps the team a long way. Makes me confident, any situation in the middle, I can handle that and bring it in favour of the team,” Kohli said.
Kohli said that the fact that the series was on the line on Saturday only provided more motivation to him and Rohit, who scored 75 in 73 balls. “It’s always brought the best out of us over the years. That’s what we play our cricket for. You don’t want it to be 1-1. But when it is 1-1 and it’s a decider, you get excited. I want to make a play today. I want to make a dent into the game. And I want to do something special for the team. That’s what we have always done over so many years. And that’s why we have been able to play for so long. Because we have always been aligned to what the team needs. And what we can do with our skill sets according to the situation. And, just happy that both of us (Rohit and himself) continue to do so even now and help the team,” he said.
While the two century knocks he played earlier in the series were more typical of his risk-free approach in ODIs, Kohli was particularly aggressive on Saturday, coming on after a 155-run opening stand between Rohit and Yashasvi Jaiswal was broken. He smashed six fours and three sixes in the innings, finishing with a strike rate of 144.44.
“When I play freely, then I know I can hit sixes. So, I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well, just take a bit more risk. Just push my own boundaries and see where we go. There’s always levels you can unlock and you just need to take a risk,” he said.
