Asia Cup 2022: 'The space that you gave me made me feel relaxed' - Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma
Virat Kohli was seemingly back to his best as he slammed his maiden T20I century and first international ton in almost three years. Kohli credited Rohit Sharma for the mental space he provided, making him feel relaxed.
FollowFormer Indian captain and top-order batter Virat Kohli is all praise for skipper Rohit Sharma for the type of "communication" they had had, allowing the former to stay cool-headed and return to his "original template". Kohli ultimately reached his 71st international century in the inconsequential final Super 4 Asia Cup 2022 match against Afghanistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had the current and former captains engrossed in some serious conversation and infrequent jesting following the contest.
"We will learn from these Super 4 games [Pakistan and Sri Lanka] where we have gone wrong. There was clear communication from the management. The space that you gave me made me feel relaxed. So, when I came back [after the break], I was excited about what I could contribute to the team," Kohli told Rohit.
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Returning to his 'Old Template'
There could be multiple ways to skin a cat, and Kohli told his skipper that he had learned to stick to his attempted and sampled "template" where hitting sixes isn't invariably a prerogative. "I banked on good cricketing shots, and six hittings is not a big strength of mine. I can [hit sixes] if the situation demands, but I am better at finding gaps, and as long as I can hit many boundaries, it will still serve the purpose," Kohli said.
He had implied head coach Raul Dravid and batting coach Vikram Rathour about his approach. "I told coaches I would find the gaps rather than try to hit big. It is not always that in T20 cricket, to get the strike rate up, you need only to hit sixes. I got that out of my system, and I am back with my template," he remarked.
"My role in the team is to take responsibility per situation and lower the scoring rate. I can accelerate if I can take 10-15 balls to settle down. I was going away from my template and desperately trying to do things which are not in my game," revealed Kohli. However, Kohli said he hadn't done something extraordinary considering tactics and philosophy.
"You know me well. We have played together for such a long time. We will perform if we are in good head space and continue being there. The dressing room is a scary place for both of us and now it's about carrying the good habits into the upcoming series," Kohli considered.
Dravid's recommendations
The Asia Cup for Kohli was all about adding proportions to his batting, which included his approach between 7-15 overs, and he received some convenient direction from Dravid. "Rahul bhai has spoken to me while batting in middle overs. How can I improve my strike rate when we bat first? The goal was the things I needed to improve to help the team. I should try it out in Asia Cup," he expressed.
KL Rahul should bat at top
Although Kohli's ton as an opener has triggered a debate about whether he should become an opener alongside Rohit, they agreed that Rahul is essential at the top and needs to be rescued. "We shouldn't ignore KL's knock as it is important to be in a good head space heading into the World Cup. We all know what he can do. He plays clean, solid shots, and once he plays well, our team looks more strong," concluded Kohli.
(With inputs from PTI)
