āI think in Adelaide they will be naming a stand after Virat Kohli with the amount of runs he is scoring. By the time he ends his career, quite a few Australian grounds will have stands named after him.ā
These were India captain MS Dhoniās opening remarks when he walked into the press conference grinning after his sideās comprehensive 37-run victory over Australia in the 1st T20I at Adelaide. Quite true to the captainās words, Kohli has developed a bond with the Adelaide Oval over the years. In 2012, it was a young boy making giant strides in Test cricket who hit a mature 116, and from there on, began a bond that would only nurture in the years to come. A leaner, meaner and fitter Kohli announced himself yet again in Adelaide with two consecutive tons in the same Test, and again, it was the Oval that graced him with open arms. Fast forward to the 2015 World Cup and Kohli took centre stage yet again at the very same venue. His dominance on the ground has been such that one of the placards from the crowds read - āCaution, Kohli on strikeā. On Tuesday night, the run-machine further continued his love affair with the Oval.
āThere is something about this ground you know. Whenever I step into this stadium, there is something that really sinks with me,ā Kohli told BCCI.TV. āNaturally, I feel wonderful coming here. All my nerves calm down pretty nicely. It is just about the whole atmosphere of the new stands and the crowd in your ears. It is a wonderful stadium to play as a cricketer, and when you have big crowds, it feels great. In the World Cup as well, you had massive crowds against Pakistan and I had a wonderful Test match here last summer. I really enjoy playing in this stadium. It is a wonderful wicket to bat on too.ā
The pitch might have been good for batting, but what Virat displayed on those 22 yards were beyond words. The precisions in finding gaps, those eyes on the field placements like a hawk and the timing and smoothness in stroke-play were spell binding.
The sweet sound of his bat has been heard more often than not in this series and Virat delved into details of how he has been getting things right. āI have been hitting the ball pretty nicely so I just want to make the most of the kind of headspace I am in. I have been keeping things simple and things are falling into place right now, which I am very grateful about. It is about not complicating things at this level honestly. I go in with a blank mind nowadays without predicting anything and not try to preplan anything. It is just about having solid positive intent and going in with absolutely no plan.
āAs soon as I start hitting the ball is when I realise that this is what I need to do today; this is the zone I am in, so I need to continue in this particular way, which luckily comes to me naturally. I am grateful to be able to think that way naturally, as if, it is imbibed in me. It is not so much of a personal effort, but the key is to keep things really simple. I am just trying to contribute as much as I can for the team to win games.ā
His explanations are as simple as his strokes and his game plan. A feature of his unbeaten 90 was the way he calculated his big shots and played an array of inside out shots to pierce the gaps on the off-side. For him, it was about using the nature of the pitch to his advantage. āThere was a bit more bounce and pace on this wicket compared to the other wickets that we have played so far this summer,ā he said. āI just wanted to get some room for the bounce and try to place the ball wherever I wanted to. That worked pretty well for me and in the end, whatever came on the legs as well, I was able to whip those (deliveries). That is my natural shot. I was giving myself more options on the off-side rather than the leg-side.ā
When he walked in to bat, India had lost the wicket of Rohit Sharma and soon had Shikhar Dhawan walking back to the pavilion in the same over. He was joined by Suresh Raina and together the duo put up a century stand for the third wicket. Kohli complemented his partner for building up the partnership at a good rate. āIt was brilliant. For him (Raina) to come in and play like that in his very first game was brilliant. That partnership was very crucial. We lost two wickets in one over so it was important for us to build from there, which is never easy. The way he built that innings with me, the credit goes to him as well. We ran pretty well between the wickets. Raina is a very important player for us. I am very happy for him. I am extremely happy with the effort.ā
India next play in Melbourne with a 1-0 lead in the three match T20I series. Virat believed it was always good to get a winning start. He felt it was important to move to the next game with a calm and free mind. āThis is a perfect start to the series. We would like to think that this win would set the tone for the rest of the matches. We need to keep the mind off cricket for a while. We have two more days in between and we would want to enjoy those two days, do normal things, walk around and see this country. It is a beautiful country to be in. It will be important to keep the mind relaxed.ā
