In the T20 World Cup final, Virat Kohli showcased that 'form is temporary and class is permanent'. Despite scoring consistently lower throughout the T20 WC tournament, Virat delivered a crucial innings when it mattered the most. His match-defining 76 off 59 balls set the tempo for Team India, enabling them to post a competitive total of 176/7 against South Africa.
Before his iconic innings in the T20 World Cup final, Virat Kohli had scored just 75 runs at an average of 10.71, which was below the usual standards expected of the highest Indian run-scorer in the format.
During team India's interaction with PM Narendra Modi at his residence on Thursday morning, Virat Kohli recalled how head coach Rahul Dravid had backed him to deliver in the T20 World Cup final despite his poor form leading up to the summit clash.
"This day will always remain in my mind because, in the entire tournament, I was not able to make the contribution that I wanted to and at one time," Kohli said during interaction with PM Modi in New Delhi, ANI reported.
"I also told Rahul bhai, that I have not done justice to both myself and the team till now. So he told me that when the situation comes, I am sure that you will come into form. So this conversation happened between us and when we went to play, I told Rohit, I did not have that much confidence that I would be able to bat the way I wanted to. So when we went to play, I got three fours in the first 4 balls, so I went and told him, what kind of a game is this? One day it seems that not even a single run will be scored, and then another day comes and everything starts happening," the former India skipper said.
India found themselves at 34/3 within the powerplay, but Kohli and Axar Patel displayed their attacking intent and effectively rotated the strike to keep the scoreboard ticking.
"When we lost wickets, I surrendered myself to the situation and focused on what the team needed from me. I was put in that zone, but I felt bound in that moment. Later, I realised that whatever has to happen will happen. It was meant to happen with me and the team," Kolhi added.
South Africa appeared in total control of the chase, needing 30 runs off the last five overs. However, the Indian pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, orchestrated a historic 7-run victory for India.