 "'I've still got it': Virat Kohli sends message before T20 World Cup")
Virat Kohli didn’t quite say it in as many words but sent out a clear message to all who would care to listen – he is not done with T20 cricket just yet. The message comes in the knowledge that he’s still a marketable name in the shortest format and the T20 World Cup follows right after the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets over.
Kohli, who took a two-month paternity break , scored a match-winning 77 off 49 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the Punjab Kings in the IPL on Monday night.
“I know my name is now attached to just promoting the game in different parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. I’ve still got it I guess,” he said cheekily in a message for those who question his place in the T20 World Cup squad .
Read | Virat Kohli on his two month absence from cricket, India
The right-handed batter, however, admitted he has to make changes to his game to keep up with the ever-evolving nature of T20 cricket.
“Well I mean you have to [make additions to your game],” he said while speaking about stepping out to fast bowlers and hitting them over cover, as opposed to playing the grounded cover drive that he is so famous for.
“People know I play the cover drive pretty well so they’re not going to allow me to hit gaps and with guys like KG [Kagiso Rabada] and Arshdeep [Singh] as well, he’s tall. So, I mean, if they’re hitting length, you have to create some momentum in the ball.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“And once you’re closer to the ball, you kind of negate the bounce that’s going to happen. You meet it earlier.
“So, I mean, you have to come up with a game plan here and there and try to keep improving your game,” Kohli said
After 98 runs in two matches, Kohli holds the Orange Cap. Although, he said that he’s past that stage where these things matter anymore. “I don’t play for these Caps anymore. That’s the promise I can give here – I’ll keep turning up and keep trying me best.”
He was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t finish the game off for the hosts. “I try to give the team a blazing start, but if wickets fall, you have to assess. Wasn’t the usual flat pitch. Disappointed I couldn’t finish the game. The ball was in the slot but sliced it to deep point.”
For the RCB fans, he still is and will remain the ‘King’.
“It’s been going on for years and you know, people talk about a lot of other things when you play sport. The achievements, the stats, the numbers. Look at the end of the day when you look back you’re not going to think of the numbers and the stats. It’s the memories that you create,” Kohli said, before citing the Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid. “Famously Rahul bhai in the change room nowadays says exactly the same to us. When you play, you play your heart out because you’re going to miss these times when you’re with your friends in the change room playing in front of fans.
“So the relationship that’s happened organically over so many years it’s something that I can never ever forget. Just the love and the appreciation and the backing I’ve received for so many years that’s been amazing.”
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