The Indian skipper Virat Kohli is one of the best chasers in the ODI format. Kohli knows how to plan for the target and his records speak for himself. The talisman has scored 43 ODI centuries in the 50-overs versions out of which 26 have come in the second innings. The right-hander has scored 7039 runs in 134 innings at an average of 68.33 while batting second.
Furthermore, Kohli has scored 22 centuries in successful run chases. He has amassed 5388 runs in 89 matches at an impressive average of 96.21 and strike rate of 97.76 in the matches India has won while chasing. Thus, he has played a big role in making India a successful chasing team.
Virat Kohli is the chase master.
Kohli is the master in planning a run chase and he is always ahead in the game. The right-hander knows when to change his gears and he backs himself in going all the way. Kohli has finished a lot of matches for the team and he generally gets the team over the line.
“Chasing is a situation in which you know how much to score and how to score the runs. There isn’t a more clear situation than this. I don’t feel any pressure (while chasing), I see it as an opportunity to remain not out and see the team win,” Virat Kohli said while talking to Tamim Iqbal in Instagram live chat.
On the other hand, Kohli loves to challenge the opposition side. In fact, it is well known that the aggression brings out the best in the Indian captain and he never shies away from a verbal battle. Kohli added that players like Mushfiqur Rahim push him to the limits when they try to sledge him.
“Sometimes someone like Mushfiqur says something behind the stumps and I get motivated. You need to have self-confidence. When I was small I would watch matches and if India would lose, I would sleep with the thought that I could have won the match for the country,” Virat Kohli said.
Kohli likes to take the bull by its horns and it is never a good idea to sledge him as he can make the opposition pay. In fact, Kohli looks for that spark that acts like petrol in his car. The right-hander has already scored more than 21000 International runs and has 70 centuries under his belt.