It was Virat Kohli’s heroics that helped India beat Pakistan on Sunday in Melbourne. But at one point in time, the former India skipper was struggling at 12 off 21, but then he started firing the Pakistani bowlers all around the park and scored 71 runs in the next 32 balls. Shoaib Malik, former Pakistan cricketer explained why Kohli is a chase master.
“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.
The former Pakistan player spoke about how Kohli ticked all the boxes. “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.
“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 further added.
India will play the Netherlands on Thursday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.