Mumbai: Former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli said the 90 minutes in the nets spurred him to roar back to form by notching up a match-winning 73 runs knock against Gujarat Titans to keep his team in the hunt for IPL playoffs.
"I batted 90 minutes in the nets on Wednesday. I came in very free and relaxed. It is in that spur of the moment why it is happening to me. It goes back to 2018 in England when I was dropped on 21 and the juggernaut could have started again like it did on the 2014 tour," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony here.
Out-of-form Kohli has been going through tough times as he was not getting into his usual groove of dominating the bowlers. He also had a couple of golden ducks to his credit this season, a rather surprising element. Under these circumstances, Kohli needed the much-needed support from his team mates and the think tank.
And after orchestrating a timely knock, the former Team India captain did not hesitate to express his gratitude. He said, "With the very first shot of Shami, I felt I could hit lengths balls over the fielder's head. I knew that tonight was the night when I could kick on. It has been wonderful that I have got so much support in this edition. I am forever grateful to all the love that I have never seen before."
"I can keep going. It was an important game. I was disappointed that I haven't done much for my team and that is what bothers me, not the stats. Today was a game where I was able to create an impact for the team," Kohli added.
There are expectations because of the performances that he had put in, he said. "You need to keep the perspective right. You can forget the process in order to live up to the expectations. I have worked really hard," he said.
ECB needed 169 runs to win the match against GT and keep their IPL playoffs hope alive, which Kohli, Faf Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell did by rising to the occasion with their splendid batting performances. Du Plessis cracked 44 runs off 38 balls with 5 boundaries, and Maxwell hammered 40 off just 18 balls with 5 boundaries and 2 sixes, that saw RCB winning against GT at Wankhede Stadium. (UNI)
