My keynotes to myself are to put my 100% every ball in the field – Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli descended in the most intimidating avatar of his as India razed Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy. Walking out to bat with Rohit Sharma back in the pavilion, India needed someone to solidify their position in the chase. Virat Kohli had a sedate start but the rockets were soon flying all over.

Kohli won the Player of the Match award for his rippling unbeaten century while also propelling India to a phenomenal win. He talked at length about India’s win and how they eyed those small phases coming together to craft the win. He also underscored the key elements which defined his knock while heaping praises on Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill.

Virat said, “To be honest, it feels good to be able to bat in that manner in an important game to seal qualification. Feels good to contribute in a game where we lost Rohit early, had to put in the understanding of what we learnt in the last game. My job was to control the middle overs against the spinners without taking too many risks, towards the end Shreyas accelerated and I got a few boundaries as well. It allowed me to play my usual ODI game.”

Shedding further light on the assessment of the conditions, Kohli added, “I have a decent understanding of my game, it is about keeping the outside noise away, staying in my space and taking care of my energy levels and thoughts. Very easy to get pulled into the expectations. My job is to stay in the present and do a job for the team. My keynotes to myself are to put my 100% every ball in the field, and then God eventually rewards you. Having clarity is important, it was important to understand that you need to get runs when there is pace on the ball, otherwise the spinners can dictate things.”

India play their last group stage fixture against New Zealand on 2nd March. With the qualification rights of the semi-finals already in the pocket, the Men in Blue will have a good break to get themselves afresh for the Kiwi challenge and the semis. VK concluded by stating, “To be honest, at 36, it feels really good. Will put my feet up for a few days as it takes a lot out of me to put that kind of effort into every game.”