The only way to go through a tournament is to be honest with ourselves – Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli continued his charge at the top of the scoring charts, blasting a match-winning 92 against Punjab Kings that bagged him the Player of the Match award last night at Dharamsala. He kept the blasters on throughout the game and time and time again, he would carve those exquisite hits that would sweep the fans and the experts off their feet.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Virat Kohli shared some valuable insights about his current train of thoughts and how he timed and paced the innings which was crucial to the tempo of the overall knock. He also shed some light about what should be the key to delivering consistently in a long-haul tournament like that of the IPL.

Virat said, “For me it's still quality over quantity. For me it works really well. Also the understanding of the game allows you to practice less, just try to replicate what I have done in the past. Still aiming to improve aspects of the game that you want to get batter at. It's an evolving process.”

Shedding some light on his match-winning knock, Virat stated, “I brought out the slog sweep against the spinners. I didn't practice it, I know I have hit it in the past. Always looking to expose that side of the field against spin. I know I need to take risks, it needs a bit of conviction. I have been managing to stay ahead of that thought. I am trying to keep up with the strike rate for me and the team.”

He concluded by saying, “The only way to go through a tournament is to be honest with ourselves. We had those losses on the trot, we just had an honest conversation. We needed to pull up our socks. That game against KKR went down to the wire. We wanted to play for our self respect. We just can't go out there and play in such a way and disappoint our fans. The confidence is back and we are on a roll. We wouldn't have to depend on several other aspects (had we played better earlier in the tournament.)”