India captain Rohit Sharma said the players and the support staff were not surprised by Virat Kohli’s return to form as the superstar star led India’s six-wicket decimation of Pakistan in their Champions Tropy Group A match in Dubai on Sunday, February 23. Kohli overcame a lean patch in international cricket and found his mojo against his favourite foes, Pakistan, hitting his 51st ODI hundred in front of a packed crowd at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Kohli was under a bit of pressure in the lead-up to the big game against Pakistan as his vulnerability against spin became a talking point. Kohli was dismissed by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain in India’s game against Bangladesh on Thursday. Before the Champions Trophy, Kohli was dismissed twice by leg-spinner Adil Rashid in a three-match ODI series against England at home in February.
Quite a few said Kohli had a mental block that he was trying too hard to overcome. However, Kohli proved his naysayers wrong, hitting a fluent 100 that helped India chase 242 in just 42.4 overs. Kohli looked flawless against Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed, who was single-handedly trying to keep his team in the hunt.
“He loves representing the country, more importantly. He loves to be out there, doing what he does the best, which is to go out there and do what he did today. That’s what we have seen him doing over the years,” Rohit Sharma said.
“People sitting in the dressing room are not surprised by what he has done. It was good for him to be out there in the middle and see the game till the end,” the captain added.
Kohli did not take risks against the Pakistan spinners, instead opting to run hard between the wickets. In his 111-ball hundred, Kohli hit only seven boundaries. In fact, the first boundary he hit against a spinner was the last shot of the match that took him from 96 to 100.
