AB de Villiers hails star India batter Virat Kohli for “stepping out of his comfort zone” during the last season of the Indian Premier League
Our Bureau
Mumbai
“As long as love for game, batting is alive…”: Virat opens on his approach following heroic knock in semis
Following a match-winning knock against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal, star India batter Virat Kohli expressed his love for the game of cricket and batting, and said that as long as that ‘love’ is alive, everything else can be taken care of.
Speaking after the game in a video by the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), Virat said, “I just love playing this game, I just love batting. As long as love for the game and batting is alive, all other things can take care of themselves. You are not going to a desperate situation and put your head down, thank god. Just keep working towards what the team wants, you will have results like these more often than not.”
Further opening on his approach to the sport at this stage of his career, Virat said that it is about getting excited for big matches, trying his best to do his job and play according to situation, which could involve a lot of hard running between the wickets, an art he has excelled in.
“For me, at this stage of my career, it is about getting up for these games, getting excited, coming out here, hopefully doing the job for the team, working hard as much as I can, run hard between the wickets, play according to the situation. When all these things come together and it comes off, you feel great. To get the team across the line, it is a great feeling,” said Virat.
“Obviously as a team, you feel good when people step up through the innings. Hardik (Pandya) hit those crucial shots at a nervous point for us. KL (Rahul) played outstandingly to close the game. Shreyas had a fine partnership with me. All-around effort counts. People are in a great space. You qualify for finals, a couple of days off, everything to look forward to,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, former South African cricketer AB de Villiers hailed star India batter Virat Kohli for “stepping out of his comfort zone” during the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), saying that winning the title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would be a “perfect finishing touch” to his legendary career.
RCB will kickstart their campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and they would be looking to win their first IPL title, which would mean a lot for Virat, who has been a part of the franchise since 2008, the year when league started.
Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, AB recalled the criticism Virat received for his strike rate in the initial stages of the competition, calling it “ridiculous”.
“The scrutiny over Virat’s strike rate was absolutely ridiculous. He had done exactly what his team needed from him. It is all about the situation. When he has someone at the other end he trusts, you see him experiment and play with more freedom. But when that’s not the case, he stays true to his natural game–anchoring the innings when needed,” said AB on JioHotstar.
In the first six matches of the season, Virat scored 319 runs at an average of 79.75, with a century and two fifties, but his strike rate of around 141 generated immense criticism from fans and experts who felt that his more cautious approach, especially against spin, held RCB back.
However, Virat responded back with immense improvements against spin, utilisation of slog sweep against them and hitting more sixes. In next nine matches, he scored 422 runs at an average of 52.75, with three half-centuries. However, his strike rate skyrocketed to around 166, marking a massive improvement. He ended the season with 38 sixes, on par with his best season of 2016 season, when he scored 952 runs with four centuries and seven fifties. His attacking approach played a key role in RCB turning a new leaf in their campaign after just one win in first eight matches, winning the next six on bounce to make it to the playoffs, where they lost to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the eliminator.
