Virat Kohli overcomes mental barriers; gives testament of his supremacy with bat against Pakistan

Indian ace batsman Virat Kohli fired a much needed knock of 49 runs against Pakistan in the fourth game of the Asia Cup 2016 and jockeyed his team on the brink of an enthralling victory. He weathered the early storm and bailed his team out of crisis in one of the most anticipated encounters against the arch-rivals. Kohli has gone through a rocky phase in the recent times, his personal life has witnessed massive turmoil but the elegant right-handed batsman has not let these factors affect his batting. Suraj Choudhari feels Kohli has overcome a huge mental barrier and enhanced his stature in the game.  LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2016, Match 4 at Dhaka

Kohli has been the spine of Indian batting line-up; he is the master of run-chases and once again proved it right with a scintillating knock against Pakistan. The pressure is immensely high when India-Pakistan lock horns on the field and expectations massive. Kohli soaked in the pressure and came out with flying colours.

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Recently, Kohli reportedly broke up with his long-time girlfriend Anushka Sharma. He may have gone through a lot of mental stress but his passion and determination for cricket helped him overhaul every blockade and succeed on the field. He was rested for the T20I series against Sri Lanka and in his comeback game against Bangladesh got out early while trying to break the shackles. ALSO READ: Virat Kohli’s genius trumps Mohammad Aamer’s brilliance as India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets in Asia Cup T20 2016

Many would have thought that chasing a mere total of 84 would never be a challenging task for the glittering Indian line-up, even the pundits predicted the match to conclude a result within 12 to 14 overs. But Mohammad Aamer had other ideas; he steamed in and got the new ball to swing to create doubts in the minds of Indian batsmen. On the very second ball Aamer showed why he is among the best new ball bowlers as he trapped the in form Rohit Sharma before the stumps only to be given out. Moments later, an in-swinging seam up delivery also sent Ajinkya Rahane back to the hut. The game was on as Suresh Raina too didn’t manage to hold his fort against the pace and swing of Aamer.

Initially, Kohli was troubled, he wasn’t finding the middle of his bat and an edge went in gap in the slip cordon. But as the saying goes, ‘fortune favours the brave’. He confronted the pumped Pakistani attack with unparalleled confidence and didn’t throw his wicket away. YuvrajSingh at the other end ensured he sustained at the crease and kept his wickets intact. ALSO READ: India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup T20 2016 Match 4 at Dhaka: Highlights from 1st innings

Kohli nicked the very first ball which safely went towards third man for a single, later, he played a flick which was in the air and beat the field by a whisker. He surely looked uncomfortable. While he was batting on 10 off 17, he stood still and played his favourite shot – the cover drive to Aamer, this was the moment when every Indian fan gained some condolence as Kohli was now connecting the ball. He gave an impression that he is on a mission and on the path of achieving it.

Kohli pounced on every loose delivery offered to him and respected the good ones. Indian cricket team and fans gained some morale as Kohli has a reputation of winning games from jaws of defeat. The ninth over almost sealed the game for India as Kohli exhibited some beautiful strokes in the over and collected 11 runs from first four deliveries from Wahab Riaz. While batting on 49, Kohli was given out to Mohammad Sami as the latter struck his pads and was called leg before. But the replays showed that bat ball nicked his bat before hitting his bat. He was unlcuky to have missed out on his half-century but the primary job was done.

Kohli has done it before at a tender age for his Delhi side in the Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka in 2006. At that time, an 18-year old Kohli smashed a dogged 90 runs for his side and saw his side at a safer position. Kohli came out to bat after an overnight score of 40 after losing his dad at 3 in the morning. Not many expected him to turn up but this attitude of his earned him a lot of respect and the commitment certainly paid off as he’s the star of contemporary cricket.

Kohli rightly received the man of the match award for this valiant knock on a pitch where wickets kept tumbling like nine pins. Kohli will hold the key in the upcoming matches especially in the ICC World T20 2016. For now, he has added another gem to his star studded wall and will continue to create more records to his name. He has kept his personal issues off the field and didn’t let pressure and stress get the better of him.

(Suraj Choudhari is a reporter with Criclife and CricketCountry. He is an avid follower of the game, and plays the sport at club level. He has a radical understanding about the subtle nuances and intricacies of cricket, and tries to express it through paper and pen.)