Virat Kohli enjoys batting in Australia in whichever format he gets a chance to play for the Men in Blue. In T20Is, his records in Australia are jaw-dropping. Till date, he has featured in 13 T20Is on Australian soil and has amassed a total of 595 runs at an average of 85.00 in 12 innings. In the ongoing T20 World Cup, he is looking in great touch and has already scored two back-to-back unbeaten fifties. His 53-ball unbeaten 82 against Pakistan in the tournament’s opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was probably his best ever innings by his own admission. And then, in the team’s second match against the Netherlands on Thursday (October 27), he once again top-scored for the Men in Blue by making 62 not out from 44 balls.
Team India will next play South Africa in their third Group 2 match on Sunday (October 30), and ahead of that high-octane clash at the Perth Stadium, Virat opened up his preparations for the matches in Australia and revealed the secret behind his stunning show across formats Down Under.
The 33-year-old said that it’s all about the mental strength that has helped him do well in Australia. Kohli said he does not watch videos often, but rather makes small adjustments here and there.
In a video uploaded by Star Sports, Virat can be heard saying that the secret to his success is not thinking too much about pace and bounce.
“Adjustment aur kuch nahi hai, jaisa maine bola It’s all a mental game here. Hum log itna khel chuke hai aur kabhi kabhi kya hota hai naa ki, and this is my personal opinion, ki jab aap bhot jyada kisi cheej k baare m sochne lagte ho naa, ki bounce hoga, pace hoga, to kabhi kabhi jab ball itna bounce nahi ho bhi rahi hoti hai to bhi vo apko lagne lag jati hai ki yaar bahut jayda uchal rahi hai, toh aap apne shots khud he rok lete ho.”
“Toh mera hamesha se yahi focus raha hai, mai videos wagerah kuch nahi dekhta hoon, kabhi bhi I don’t like to watch anything. Mai nets main jata hoon aur figure out krta hoon, theek hai, pehle 5-6 balls you might look very stupid, right, but ek natural instinct hota hai, apko batting aati hai, apko reaction aata hai, to uske baad apko pata chal jata hai ki, acha, ye ball itna uchal rahi hai, toh I can’t be low, I have to be upright.”
“You can’t prepare for that from India ki main upright he khada rahunga. You figure out ki kaisi conditions hai and you adapt. Because when you adapt on the field, vo moment k andar, to solutions dhundne bhot aasan ho jaate hai, because aap kuch pre-planned dekh k nahi ja rahe ho. Agar vo nahi hua to kya karoge? Agar bounce nahi hua to kya karoge? Toh aap dekho ki kya ho rha hai and your game should be good enough to take care of you in first 4-5 balls. Ek baar pace used to ho gaye, bounce used to ho gaye, I don’t think, duniya m isse achi batting wickets kahi par hai,” he said.
This Sunday’s match at Optus Stadium will be the first time India will play an unofficial T20I match in Perth. The wicket in Perth is considered to be a bowling paradise and it will be interesting to see how Indian players perform there against South Africa’s fearsome pace attack.
