Mumbai: Virat Kohli once again led India from the front and displayed his mercurial batting against a fairly weak South African side. The ICC-rated No.1 ODI batsman’s unbeaten knock of 72 runs guided India to a seven-wicket win over the South Africans. He was awarded the ‘man of the match’ trophy for his heroics.
His recent exploits in West Indies in Tests and ODIs were also world-class. This finesse in all three formats begs this question – ‘What is the reason behind Virat Kohli’s consistency across all formats?’ Sanjay Manjrekar was kind enough to ask this question to him on behalf of all the fans.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kohli said, “The badge in front of my shirt - India - it is a pride to play for my country. Whatever it takes, whichever format, to get us across the line, I'll do that."
When asked about how he manages to adapt to the different formats of the game, he said, “Adapting in different formats is nothing but a mindset of making your team win. If you want to win a game for your team, you will find a way. That's the most important thing. I never think for myself, it's always about what the team needs. Test cricket, one-day cricket ... the will should be to win the game for your country."
He also went on to praise the performance put up by the young Indian bowlers and backed them up for the future. He said, “The pitch was very good and an outstanding effort from the bowlers to pull things back. As long as they show character in difficult situations, they are going to present a strong case for themselves in the future. Lot of positive signs for us and they'll get many more games to prove their mettle. They are going in the right direction."
India will now face South Africa for the third match of the T20 series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
