Kohli reveals game plan as countdown continues to T20 World Cup

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The India veteran has provided some insight on what aspects of his game he has been working on and what he got up to during his recent break from the game.

India star Virat Kohli knows he needs to continue making adjustments to his game if he is to keep up with the evolving nature of T20 cricket.

Kohli discussed the finer points of his batting following a Player of the Match performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday and just months out from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean.

The right-hander looked in good touch as he contributed a quickfire 77 at the top pf the order for Royal Challengers Bengaluru at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, hitting 11 fours and two massive sixes against a world-class Punjab Kings bowling line-up that included South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada, England all-rounder Sam Curran and India teammate Arshdeep Singh.

It was Kohli’s ability to use his feet and loft the likes of Rabada and Arshdeep over cover that stood out most during his 49-ball stay and the 35-year-old admitted this tactic has been something he has been working on in recent times.

“Well I mean you have to (make additions to your game),” Kohli noted post-match.

“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 (Rabada) and Arshdeep as well, he’s tall. So, I mean, if they’re hitting length, you have to create some momentum in the ball.

“And once you’re closer to the ball, you kind of negate the bounce that’s going to happen. You meet it earlier.”

Kohli finished the most recent T20 World Cup in Australia as the leading run-scorer with 296 runs from six innings and will form a vital cog in India’s squad for this year’s tournament if he wins selection for what would be a sixth appearance at the 20-over showcase.

India will have to finalise a squad of 15 players prior to the tournament commencing on June 1 and Kohli is determined to continue to work hard to make sure he flourishes in the shortest format.

“You have to come up with a game plan here and there and try to keep improving your game,” Kohli noted.

“I know my name is nowadays quite attached to just promoting the game in many parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. But, I’ve still got it, I guess.”

Kohli only recently returned to the playing arena at the IPL, after he skipped India’s home Test series against England to spend some time with his family and welcome in his second child alongside wife Anushka.

The star batter revealed he spent the time away from the rigors of professional cricket outside of India and enjoyed the novelty of not being recognised on a daily basis.

“We were not in the country. We were at a place where people were not recognising us. Just time together as a family, just to feel normal for two months,” Kohli said. 

“For me, for us as a family, it was a surreal experience. Of course, having two kids, things become totally different from a family perspective. So just the ability to be together, the connections that you make with your older child, it’s amazing.

“I mean, I couldn’t have been more grateful to God for the opportunity that I got to spend time with my family.

“And yeah, just the place that we were in, I was telling the guys that when we came back, the voices back home felt that much louder. I couldn’t look up because I was just not used to being called my name for two months. And then immediately you hear these loud noises and then you’re back in it all again.

“But it was beautiful. It’s an amazing experience to just be another person on the road and not be recognised and just carry on about life that normally people would on a daily basis.”

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