Indian run-machine, Virat Kohli was once doubted by most of the cricketing world, that he could never come back to his prime, most analysts have already written off the former Indian skipper, but as it is said big players perform at big events, and it was 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, arguably the biggest rivalry of the cricketing world, India vs Pakistan match.
Kohli made a match-winning 82 runs and took his side to chase the tricky 160-run target at MCG, it was a last-ball finish by Team India, It looked to be going badly wrong for Men in Blue while chasing, as they struggled to just 45-4 off 10 overs. Then came Virat who played arguably the greatest T20 innings of his career.
Virat Kohli recalls his conversation with Rahul Dravid during his knock-
“I still can’t make any sense of it. That’s a very honest admission. And a lot of people have tried to ask me what were you thinking, how did you plan and I have no answers.
“The fact of the matter is that I was so much under pressure that my mind had shut off completely by the 12th or 13th over,” said Kohli at the PUMA event.
Team India’s ace batter endured a rough patch for the majority of 2022 after controversies surrounding his departure from the captaincy role, he left the limited-overs leadership role after T20 World Cup 2021 and in January 2022 for Test cricket. During that period, the 34-year-old hadn’t scored an international century for two years and endured a series of low scores, as well as in the IPL.
“I was going through what I was going through, then I came back in Asia Cup and I was playing well and I felt like wow I’m ready to play to play in this World Cup. At the 10th over mark.
“we were 31 for 4 and I had just ran Axar out. I was 12 off 25, or something. I remember in the break, Rahul bhai came to me and I don’t remember what he said. I swear and I even told him this as well. I told him, ‘I have no idea what you told me in that break because I was zoned out,” he further added.
However, the former Indian skipper made a remarkable comeback to run-scoring as he ended a long wait for an international century during the Asia Cup 2022 match against Afghanistan. Since then, he has scored three more centuries – all coming in ODIs, Kohli’s performance in T20 WC 2022 was incredible, especially against Pakistan, he scored an unbeaten 82 while chasing 160 runs to take his side to the victory.
“My mind was spinning so fast…I was like this is worse that it was before. I had spiralled down so far down that there is no comeback from here and that was my honest feeling at the halfway mark. That is when my instinct took over. So when I stopped thinking and planning, whatever God-given talent I have that came to the surface and then I felt like something higher was guiding me,”
“I can’t claim any of that. I was trying to do it before as well but it wasn’t working. The lesson for me was stop using your mind so much because it actually pushes you away from real magic. What happened that night, I can never explain it and it won’t happen ever again,” concluded Kohli on his knock against Pakistan in T20 WC 2022.
India was knocked out of the T20 WC 2022 after getting beaten by England in the semifinals, however, Virat Kohli’s knock was important in IND vs PAK clash at MCG last year, because Team India lost their last encounter against Men in Green in the T20 WC at Dubai.