India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was proud of the way Virat Kohli hit top form and scored his 20th ODI century to set up series win against the West Indies in Dharamsala yesterday.
Dhoni said the way Kohli paced his innings was praiseworthy.
“Virat played well in the last game, continued from there and it’s important he gets back in good nick. He took his time even though he is a naturally aggressive batsman. I thought he would attack the spinners, but he took his time and built his innings,” said Dhoni.
“A few more runs would have been good. When we were going back to the hotel yesterday (Thursday), we said we would want a total of 350-360 on that wicket. But we did well with the new ball, Bhuvi bowled really well.”
On his part, Kohli said he is getting used to the burden of expectations put on him by fans. The Delhi batsman followed up his 62-run effort in his home city with a 114-ball 127 yesterday.
“First run scored in Delhi felt like my first run for India. The kind of cricket I’ve played in the last four five years, I guess people expect runs from me every time," said Kohli.
“It’s about clearing your mind, being positive and not rushing into it. I’m someone who relies on visualisation a lot. I visualised myself playing against the bowlers the next day."
Kohli revealed he had to work hard to regain his touch.
“Some time off helped to forget the bad phase, hopefully I can build on it. It was more mental than physical. I had to alter with the way I was setting up.”
He also revealed India’s batting plans for the World Cup.
“I have had some memorable partnerships with Raina (Suresh). The idea is me, him and MS (Dhoni) bat through in the middle order and hopefully we can take this form to the World Cup and it will be dangerous for other teams.”
