As he was struggling to get runs at the T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli went to Rahul Dravid and confessed about not pulling his weight. He got assurance in return. At the end, things fell into place. Kohli scored 76 off 59 balls against South Africa in the final to win the Player of the Match award.
The former India captain recounted his T20 World Cup journey, as the title-winning Indian team met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over breakfast on Thursday. The PM asked him about the ups and downs and Kohli said: “First of all, thank you so much for inviting us here.” He went on: “The day (T20 World Cup final) will stay with me forever, because I couldn’t contribute for the team in the tournament the way I wanted to. I went to Rahul bhai and told him that I wasn’t doing justice to myself and the team. He told me, ‘when the situation comes, I have full faith in you that you will perform’. That was the conversation we had.”
When runs dry out, it affects the confidence of a player. Kohli was no different. “When we walked out to bat (in the final), the way my tournament went, I told Rohit (Sharma) I wasn’t feeling that confident,” said Kohli. “Then, I got three fours off the first four balls (against Marco Jansen). I went to Rohit and told him what a game this is! One day you feel like not being able to score a single run, and then another day, everything starts happening.”
As India lost three early wickets in the final, Kohli had to change his game. He had to play to the situation. “We lost a few wickets, so I felt that I had to surrender myself to the situation,” the star batsman recalled. “My sole focus was what was important for the team. I felt that I was pushed into that zone. I can’t explain the reason, but I felt that I was totally captured by the moment. Later I realised if something is destined to happen, it will happen. It had to happen with me and the team.”
Heinrich Klaasen weighed heavy on the Indian spinners and it became the Proteas’ game to lose. India pulled things back spectacularly in the last four overs. “I can’t explain what was going through our minds,” said Kohli. “There was a time when we lost hope. Then, Hardik took the wicket (of Klaasen). After that, every ball became important. We came back into the contest with each delivery. I’m happy that I could contribute for the team on the big day, after going through a rough patch. And the way everything happened, I will never forget this.”
The PM mentioned Kohli’s fightback, that he scored 75 runs all games combined in the lead-up to the final and made 76 in the title clash. He asked the player about the reaction of his family. “The good thing was that due to time difference, I couldn’t talk to my family much,” said Kohli. “My mother ends up getting worried. Sometimes you feel like you would be doing it and then your ego takes over, and the game pulls away from you. I had to eschew my ego. When you respect the game, it respects you.”
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