Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli admitted that his trademark cover drive puts him in a “catch-22” situation as it has been a weakness lately but playing the shot gives him control over the innings.
Kohli crafted a memorable unbeaten century against Pakistan, steering India to a six-wicket win. His 111-ball masterclass featured the cover drive prominently, a shot that has in recent time led to his downfall but remains a signature weapon in his arsenal.
“It’s a ‘catch-22’. I mean, it’s (cover drive) kind of been my weakness as well over the years, but I’ve scored a lot of runs on that shot,” Kohli said in a video posted by BCCI.
“I think today was just about backing my shots and I think the first couple of boundaries I got were cover drives on the rise, so I really had to just let it go a little bit and take a bit of risk and follow through with my shots.
“Because when I hit that kind of shots, then I feel in control when I bat out there. So, it was a good innings for me personally and it was a great team win,” he added.
An India-Pakistan game is always a blockbuster, but Kohli felt Sunday’s clash was even more electrifying, with Dubai’s stands packed with passionate fans from both nations.
“The occasion is a bit more lively when you play against Pakistan, especially in this region because you have an equal number of fans from both countries, yeah, it was a great day for us as a team and for me personally as well.”
Delighted to contribute to India’s victory once again, Kohli, who became the fastest batter to complete 14,000 ODI runs, said his role at number three has remained unchanged over the years – minimising risk, stabilising the innings, and, when possible, finishing the chase.
“One thing that I’ve always thought of batting at three is to minimise risk and make sure that I put my team in a winning position and if you have a chance to finish off the game in a chase, obviously, that’s much better and I always preferred that kind of a situation.
“My role over the years has remained the same, whatever the demand of the game, I put my head down and try to do that,” he added.
