Virat Kohli Reflects on Rediscovering His Top Form After a Long Gap

Virat Kohli has performed exceptionally well in the ODI series against South Africa. With two back-to-back hundreds, Kohli rediscovered his peak form with which he once dominated international cricket. He is quite happy to make an impact in the field with his bat, as it always helps India to win matches decisively.

While speaking at the post-match press conference, Virat Kohli admitted that playing with full intensity in the South Africa ODIs gave him great satisfaction. He said that his form dipped a bit during the last few years, however, it is now coming back steadily by scoring runs consistently.

"Honestly, just playing the way I have in this series has been the most satisfying thing for me. I don't think I've played at this level for a good two-three years now and I feel really free in my mind and just the whole game is coming together nicely, [it's] very exciting to build on.” said Virat Kohli at the post-match press conference.

He then said that meeting top standards is always his priority in international cricket. He always wants to perform well for the team, so that his runs can make a positive impact for India. By having years of experience, he now understands the requirements of every situation. Keeping that in view, he tries to shape his innings accordingly, so that India can win matches comfortably.

“And something that I've always tried to do as a player, maintain my own standards that I've set for myself and play at the level that I can make an impact for the team.” said Virat Kohli.

“I know when I can bat like that out there in the middle, then it of course helps the team in a big way because I can bat long, I can bat according to the situation and just being confident makes me feel like any situation out there in the middle, I have what it takes to handle that situation and bring it in favour of the team." added Virat Kohli.

Talking about playing big shots, Kohli said that having the freedom to play his natural game brings out the best in him. He added that playing such shots involves some risks, but they are worth taking to unlock new attributes in his game.

"Well, you know, when I play freely then I know I can hit sixes. So I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well, just take a bit more risk, just push my own boundaries and see where I go. There's always levels you can unlock and you just need to take a risk." said Virat Kohli.

Rebuilding and Rising After Difficult Times

He then explained how to overcome nerves during the challenging times. It should be noted that Kohli wasn’t performing at his best over the past two or three years, so he faced plenty of criticism from the Indian fans. However, the star batter never lost hope, as he kept backing himself to return to form through continued hard work.

"You tend to go into a space where you feel like maybe I'm not good enough, the nerves take over and that's the beauty of sport, especially a skill like batting where you have to keep overcoming that fear every ball that you play and eventually play long innings and get into a zone again where you can start playing confidently. “ said Virat Kohli.

The Indian superstar then acknowledged that a player needs to learn from mistakes every time. He said focusing on the little details can also help you to become better, as it clears negative thoughts from your mind.

“It's a whole journey of learning and getting to know yourself better and becoming better as a person along the whole way. I can surely vouch for the fact that being a batsman and realising so much about myself, what kind of negative thinking patterns I have, where I can get into a zone where I don't feel confident or when I'm feeling like myself, what are those small little details,” said Virat Kohli.

“It just improves you as a person in general and your whole temperament becomes much better and balanced over so many years. So, yes, I've had many phases where I've doubted myself and I haven't been shy to admit that." concluded Virat Kohli.