At one point of time against Pakistan, Virat Kohli was struggling. He was 12 off 21, and he even said after the match that he was having thought that he was messing up the game. But Kohli took his game to the next level and scored 71 runs from the next 32 balls to help India will by four wickets.
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik explains why Virat Kohli is so good in chasing.
“Self-belief is the key to Virat’s success. As a batter, if you are under pressure while chasing, but at one point, the opposition will also come under pressure. That is what Virat does; he takes the opposition in that zone, where you will break. And then he executes his A game,” Malik said during an interaction on A Sports.
“He assesses the situation like no one else; that’s why he is so successful while chasing,” he added.
Malik also breaks down how Kohli ticks all the boxes; while chasing and against Pakistan, he displayed all the facets of his game.
“Even if he is batting first, his average must be equally good. But in the chase, he ticks all the boxes, he rotates strike very well, he can hit the big shots, and the fascinating thing about his batting is that he plays shots in the gaps. He never panics, never changes his game, and you will hardly see him muscling the ball. He backs his game even when he is immensely under pressure,” said Malik.
Malik also praises the six-hitting capability of Virat Kohli.
“Look at Virat’s sixes. He was striking those at the end as if he is a power-hitter, which he is not. But the amount of balls he faced, he had an idea of what the bowlers were doing and how the pitch was behaving,” he said.
India will face the Netherlands on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.