Calcutta/New Delhi: Virat Kohli's match-winning knock under pressure in a crucial World T20 tie against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday earned him accolades from many. One among them is former Australia captain Ian Chappell.
Ian, who is a World T20 analyst for a cricket-specific website, praised Kohli saying that he was a man in "control of his batting".
"He is a man who is in control of his batting and he knows exactly what he is trying to do. He knows how to do it and for a guy who has got a fiery temperament in a lot of ways, you seem to be getting involved in shouting matches on the field... It is the fiery temperament, but he seems to be able to keep it under control in tense situations where he is chasing down the target," Ian said.
"He seems to have himself totally under control... Whereas at other times I have seen him where he looks out of control, but never with the bat in his hand," said Chappell.
Chappell said that Virat's innings at the Eden reminded him of the Indian's second innings century at Adelaide in 2014.
"I saw him doing it a couple of times in Australia. That sort of innings reminded me very much of the second innings of the Adelaide Test... He got a hundred in each innings. But that second innings, the pitch was turning a lot. He looked like he was playing on a different pitch to the rest of the Indians side. That's the best fourth innings that I have ever seen. He made it look a hell lot easier than the rest of them," said Chappell.
"He's got scoring shots all around the wicket. Consequently, he's very very difficult to keep quiet... The other thing is that because he can play all around the wicket, on a difficult pitch he can say to himself 'that's going to be a dangerous shot, I won't play those, but I can play these...'
"That's what he does and that's what you've got to do on pitches that are little bit in favour of bowlers. You've got to work out what you can do against a particular bowler on a particular pitch. And when you can play all round the wicket, you still have enough options and that's why Kohli is successful... Because he's got so many options," Chappell stressed.
Meanwhile, speaking to bcci.tv, Kohli himself has said that the win over Pakistan should serve a perfect boost for the Indians to win their remaining matches.
"I think this is a perfect catalyst for us going forward into the tournament. You have to stay positive, no matter what. That is the name of the game in international cricket. There is nothing you can do about a bad loss, but what you have to do is learn from it, and come out positive," he said.
"When you are sitting in that room, you want to be the guy that makes the difference in the game and win the game for the team single-handedly. If all eleven guys can think like that, then the team is in a good space," he added.
About the loss to New Zealand in their opening match, Kohli said: "In the last game, I was really disappointed with myself. I wanted to win the game for the team, but that is how cricket goes sometimes. I knew if I had batted till 40 -45 runs, we could have pulled that game out of trouble and we could have won that one as well. It doesn't happen every time," he said.
"I was really disappointed after that loss. I went back to the room and thought about what needs to be done. Such games and situations just improve you as a cricketer and I look forward to challenges like these," he said.
Asked what his mindset was going into the high-profile match against Pakistan, Kohli said: "I told myself in the change room that I am going to back myself to play good cricketing shots."
"This works for me in all situations. I remain pretty calm. Luckily my heart rate was low when we lost three wickets, it could have shot up as it was a big game and a full stadium at Eden Gardens. I am just grateful I was able to do it," he added.