Edgbaston: Indian skipper Virat Kohli once again led from the front in India’s emphatic nine-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second semi-final on Thursday.
He remained unbeaten on 96 and though he could not notch his 28th One Day hundred, he went past the 8,000-run mark in his 175th innings. He became the fastest batsman to go past 8,000 runs, beating AB De Villiers who attained the landmark in 182 innings.
When asked how he adapts to the role — leaving the flamboyant part to his openers and other batsmen — a smiling Kohli said: “It has not been difficult at all. I’m really enjoying the way I’m batting. For me the number of runs do not matter at this stage. I’m really enjoying the process, and something which is giving me joy is that whatever I am practising now and how I’d prepared after the Indian Premier League (IPL) is paying off in this tournament. So I’m pretty happy getting the team across the line.”
Kohli said the way other members of the team performed gave him confidence too.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s three wickets or two or even one down. I want to apply myself in any situation possible. Our last game was a bit more challenging in terms of chasing a low total, and we had lost one early wicket too, so I had to apply differently. But today, the way Rohit and Shikhar batted, it just gave me so much confidence. These guys just went out and especially Shikhar, the way he took off was outstanding. Those two guys really dent the opposition mentally and so one is able to come in and play your shorts. But I don’t want to take all the credit ... it was a beautiful wicket to bat on and the outfield was quick. I think it was a great condition to bat in today and as batsmen you do want to capitalise.”
Kohli is now focused on the final, especially Pakistan’s rise to reach the final. “Their turnaround has been magnificent. Obviously if you reach the finals you have to play some good cricket. All credit to them, they’ve turned around things really well for themselves. They’ve beaten sides that looked really strong against them. Their belief just showed on the field, especially the way they played together as a team. But regardless of whom you play in the finals, it’s always going to be challenging; once you start thinking that it’s a big game then your mindset changes. What we are going to try to do is repeat the same sort of cricket we’ve played so far, knowing the strengths and weaknesses they have. All we need is to focus on our skills and abilities and believe in ourselves on that particular day, and we’ll give ourselves a good chance to go out there and do some good things for the team.”
