India’s national cricket team’s modern batsman Virat Kohli played a sensational innings in the opening match of the ODI series against South Africa’s national cricket team.
Virat Kohli’s brilliant century ensured that India put a huge score on the board and won the match against the Proteas at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.
Virat Kohli breaks silence on return to Test
In his previous outing in international cricket, Virat Kohli scored 74* at the Sydney Cricket Ground after registering back-to-back ducks in the series against the Australia National Cricket Team.
However, Kohli did not make up for the slow start this time and demolished the Proteas bowling unit in the first match itself. He was forced to come in the middle of the fourth over after Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for 18 runs.
The great batsman showed his aggressive avatar in the middle and the way he batted from the beginning, it seemed as if he had his sights set on a big score.
Kohli played aggressive cricket and produced extraordinary pace before hitting his 52nd century in ODI cricket off 102 balls.
He was eventually dismissed by Nandre Berger after scoring 135 runs off 120 balls and his innings included 11 fours and 7 sixes.
Virat Kohli won the Player of the Match award, and during a conversation with Harsha Bhogle, he revealed that he will continue to play only ODI cricket until he retires from international cricket and has no plans of returning to Tests.
“It will always be like this – I am only playing one format of the game,” the great batsman said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Notably, some recent reports have revealed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to bring retired players including Kohli back into the Test setup.
All my preparation is mental – Virat Kohli
During the same conversation, Kohli also said that he prepared him mentally and physically for the series, which helped him perform well. He elaborates:
“It was really good to get into the game like that today. Played well for the first 20-25 overs before the pitch got slow. It was just about being in a place of bliss. Obviously when you get the start, you get into position, you know what needs to be done.
“Experience starts. I never believe in preparation. All my preparation is mental. As long as my physical level is up and the mental intensity is there, you know it’s OK. I took a day off before the game. I’m 37 and I need time to recover.”
If you have played more than 300 games and that much cricket, you know when you are hitting the balls – Virat Kohli
The great modern-day batsman said that he is experienced enough to understand what his fitness level and reaction is, and it is just about being excited and mentally prepared for the matches. He said:
“If you’ve played over 300 games and that much cricket, you know that when you’re hitting balls in practice, you know there are reactions and the physical ability to bat for a long time. As long as you’re hitting the ball well and playing good cricket, it’s physically fit, mentally prepared and excited.”
Also read: After Virat Kohli’s 52nd ODI century, Ravi Shastri took a dig at Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar
