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 No. 3 has remained unchanged over the years — minimizing risk, stabilizing 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.
(With agency inputs)