A match-winning knock was what Virat Kohli needed, to end his run of poor scores, says a report in The Hindu, adding that this talented youngster, already seen by many as a future India captain, has the potential to be an asset to the National team in all three forms of the game. But Kohli’s periodic touch of casualness has often caused his downfall.
Upbeat after his 79-ball 77 helped India take a 2-1 lead with two matches to go in the series, Kohli looked ahead with optimism. “I wasn’t feeling the same way as many people were feeling about my form, to be honest. No one can keep scoring consistently. There is always a balance in international cricket where you will get a phase where you won’t score in four-five games,” said Kohli.
“It was a bit annoying for me because I was not getting out making too many mistakes. I got a few good balls in the last series and made two mistakes in this series. So it is all about working hard in the nets regularly and just staying calm. If you get frustrated, you tend to extend that kind of lean phase. You’ve got to be positive,” Kohli added according to The Hindu.
Meanwhile a report in The Times of India quotes Kohli saying that he was happy batting at No. 3 despite his poor form.
"Yes, batting at No. 3 has been working fine for me. I have no problem batting at that position. Batting higher up, I get a chance to finish off the game once I get my eye in. That way, I ensure that I stay till the end which not only helps me but also serves the cause of the team,” Kohli said adding that he always likes to prepare well before the match whether he is in good nick or not. However, he felt that it is more important for the team to perform as a unit.
"We should try to play well as a batting unit as the bowlers have been performing well. The top-order has to be more consistent."
According to Deccan Chronicle, having seen the way the Indian batting had rebounded from the 2-1 series defeat to Pakistan and then losing the opening game to England at Rajkot, Kohli felt that the group was keen to press on. “Everyone goes into a match wanting to score runs and not to fail. Now that we have done well in the last two games as a batting unit we hope to continue the same. It's important that the batting unit does consistently well.
“The bowling unit has done well in the last three games and it's important that the batting complements that. So as I said, we will try to perform consistently in the next two games as well in batting and fielding.“ Kohli said that the 2-1 scoreline was a mixture of the Indian bowlers doing well, and the England batsmen coming under pressure.
“They showed great temperament while the Test series was on because you had a bit of more time to see off the bowlers. But in one-day cricket
you have to play a few shots. Our bowlers were able to create good pressure on their batsmen and that's what made them make those mistakes that they did.
“I am not taking anything away from our bowlers, but if you consistently put pressure on the batsmen and if the wickets are a bit slow and they turn, you have to play shots. It gets a little difficult.