With the advent of the Asia Cup 2022 and the Greatest Rivalry set to take place between India and Pakistan, the Indian cricket team is in all preparation for the opening game of the tournament against their arch-rivals.
For Virat Kohli, the Asia Cup presents an opportunity for a redemption arc where he can finally get back to his destructive best at a marquee tournament such as this. After taking a hiatus from the game, Kohli has had time to reflect on his performance and to understand his game better ahead of his 100th T20I against Pakistan.
With fans around the world looking for ‘King Kohli’ to return to his regal best, all eyes will be on him to guide India to their record eighth Asia Cup title.
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show ‘Game Plan’, Kohli spoke about his mental approach and how he has been preparing for the Asia Cup 2022.
“What happened in England was a pattern, so something that I could work on and something that I had to kind of overcome. Right now, as you rightly mentioned, there is nothing that you can point out saying that the problem is happening here. So, that for me, is actually an easier thing to process because I know that I’m batting well and at times, when I start feeling that rhythm back, then I know that I’m batting well,” the former India skipper expressed.
“So, that for me is not an issue, which wasn’t the case in England; I didn’t feel like I was batting well at all. So, I had to work hard on one thing that could be exposed again and again which I overcame; right now this is not the case,” he added.
Kohli further spoke about how important this past phase has been for his career and how it has improved his outlook on his game and life. “I know where my game stands and you cannot run this far in your international career without having the ability to counter situations and counter conditions and counter different kinds of bowling. So, this for me, is an easier phase to process, but I don’t want to put this phase behind me. I want to learn from it and I want to understand what are the core values that I have, as a sportsperson and as a human being,” he said.
“As long as I’m ticking those boxes, I know there are ups and downs, and when I come out of this phase, I know how consistent I can be. My experiences are sacred to me. Whatever I have experienced in this phase or in the past, as well one thing that I can vouch for, is that I have never valued myself more as a person,” he added.