Ricky Ponting, former captain of Australia, said he never lost hope in Virat Kohli’s batting skills even while he was experiencing a form slump because winners “always tend to find a way” to win.
With 220 runs in four games and a 220 run average in this year’s ICC T20 World Cup, Kohli has been in outstanding form. On October 23, during India’s four-wicket victory over Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he scored an incredible 82 runs without being dismissed.
After taking a month off from playing cricket, he returned to the team and has since returned to his old self, hitting runs like crazy and contributing significantly to nearly every bilateral series and the T20 World Cup, showing that his confidence has returned.
“He’s been a champion player of the game in all three formats for a long period of time,” Ponting was quoted as saying by ICC on Saturday.
“One thing I’ve learnt about champion players, in this game in particular, is you just never write them off. They always tend to find a way, particularly when it matters most, to dig deep enough and find a way to get a job done.
“If you wind the clock back about a week, start of this tournament; India, Pakistan, right here at the MCG — that was what I thought might happen,” said the former Australia captains, who also is the head coach of IPL side Delhi Capitals.
“Virat rolling the clock back a little bit, playing a match-winning knock, being man of the match in what I think is one of the best sporting spectacles that I’ve ever seen.”
In an Asia Cup game against Afghanistan in September in the UAE, Kohli snapped a 1,021-day century drought with a brilliant unbeaten 122 off 61 balls while opening for India. However, he immediately switched back to his favoured first drop position.
(inputs from IANS)