Virat Kohli secured a fine half-century as India posted 186 runs in the second T20I against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Kohli walked into bat early after India lost Ishan Kishan and made his purpose clear from the first ball. The talismanic run-scorer released his shots while Rohit Sharma took some time to settle.
What an innings this has been so far. 🤩🔥@imVkohli gets to his 3️⃣0️⃣th T20I half-century. 🙌🏻#PlayBold #TeamIndia #INDvWI #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/ootpZxXbqQ
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) February 18, 2022
Virat, who was on a lean patch, accepted that he tried to be confident right from the start. Discuss 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.”
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.”
🗣️🗣️Important to back yourself & trust your abilities @imVkohli talks about his mindset after his half-century.#TeamIndia | #INDvWI | @Paytm pic.twitter.com/PfIqS7vofM
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 18, 2022
Kohli explained that when you play with his performance for a long period, you tend to back your instincts and play the normal 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.”
“Special note to Rishabh and Venky” – Virat Kohli
Innings Break!
Half-centuries from @imVkohli (52) and @RishabhPant17 (52*) and an 18 ball 33 from Venkatesh Iyer propels #TeamIndia to a total of 186/5 on the board.
Scorecard – https://t.co/vJtANowUFr #INDvWI @Paytm pic.twitter.com/G6aPAw3sur
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 18, 2022
Virat also lauded how Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer shifted gears in the game’s final stages. The duo added 76 runs in 35 balls to end the proceedings on a high. 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.”
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