Virat Kohli Played With Positive Intent In 2nd T20I Against West Indies

Feb 19, 2022 at 5:20 PM

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Virat Kohli Played With Positive Intent In 2nd T20I Against West Indies

Virat Kohli scored a fine half-century as India posted 186 runs in the 2nd T20I against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Virat Kohli went into bat early after India lost Ishan Kishan and made his intentions clear right from the first ball. The talismanic run-scorer unleashed his shots while Rohit Sharma took some time to settle.

The former Indian skipper had previously registered scores of 8, 18, 0, and 17 in the ongoing home assignment against the West Indies. He had ended the West Indies 3 matches ODI series scoring just 26 runs which include scores of 8 off 4 and 18 off 30 deliveries respectively in the first two games.

Rohit Sharma Photo Credit: (BCCI)
Rohit Sharma Photo Credit: (BCCI)

Virat Kohli Was Happy As He Went Out With Clear Intent In The 2nd T20I Scoring 52 Off 41 Balls

Virat Kohli, who was on a lean patch, admitted that he tried to be positive right from the start.

Speaking during the mid-inning break, Virat Kohli said: “For me, it’s always been an opportunity to bat well under different situations for the team. Today when I went in, I decided to be positive then we lost a few wickets. I wanted to continue in the same way.

“I was probably disappointed to get out at the time I did because I set up the game nicely for me to go hard in the last 4-5 overs which is the way I bat, which is my strength.”

Virat Kohli scored a fine half-century in the 2nd T20I (Credit: BCCI)
Virat Kohli scored a fine half-century in the 2nd T20I (Credit: BCCI)

The 33-year-old cricketer added: “I was happy that I went out with clear intent today and not to think so much about whether I should try my shots or not and it came off. It’s a nice way to start that innings for myself.”

Virat Kohli went on to explain that when you play with responsibility for a long period of time, you tend to back your instincts and play the natural game.

He said:”When you play with responsibility over a long period of time, you tend to go into a mindset where you start thinking too much about whether you can take a risk or not. I think sometimes, you tend to forget why you got to the stage you got to and it’s important to back your instincts.”

Virat Kohli carried the Indian innings on his shoulders despite losing Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav before Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer flourished in the end. Virat Kohli finally perished after a well-made 52 off 41 balls, including seven boundaries and a six.

Virat Kohli Praised Rishabh Pant And Venkatesh Iyer For Forging A Successful Partnership Of 76 Precious Runs

Virat Kohli also lauded the manner in which Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer shifted gears in the final stages of the game. The duo added 76 runs in 35 balls to finish the proceedings on a high.

Virat Kohli added: “We know they are going to go after the shots and that is going to provide us those wicket-taking opportunities. Special mention to Rishabh and Venky, the way they batted gave us those extra 10 runs in the end and hats off to that partnership.”

Venkatesh Iyer (Getty)
Venkatesh Iyer (Getty)

Rishabh Pant remained unbeaten on 52 off 28 balls, including seven fours and one six. Venkatesh Iyer chipped in with 33 runs from 18 deliveries aided by four boundaries and a six. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel produced superb bowling in slog overs as India survived some anxious moments before walking out with an eight-run win over West Indies in the second T20I that handed them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series here on Friday.

Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant were backed by a spirited bowling performance at the death as India defeated West Indies by eight runs on Friday to gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. India resisted a fightback from the Windies’ pair of Nicholas Pooran (62) and Rovman Powell (68*), restricting the visitors to 178/3 in the 187-run chase.

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