IND vs SA 2019: “I Got a Bit of Motivation from World T20 Win in Mohali” – Virat Kohli

India registered a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the second Twenty20 International game in Mohali. Captain Virat Kohli played a crucial knock of 72* off 52 and guided India to a comfortable win. However, this is not the first time Kohli did these heroics in Mohali.

He had earlier done this during the World T20 in 2016 when he single-handedly thrashed Australia in the tournament. He scored a 51-ball 82*, hitting 9 boundaries and 2 sixes to steer India to a win after they were struggling at 49 for 3 in chase of 161.

However, he revealed that he found motivation from that knock in T20 World Cup 2016 before he walked out to bat in Mohali on Wednesday against South Africa. Kohli hit 4 boundaries and 3 sixes in his knock of 82*. Virat Kohli shared that the his knock in 2016 was his best in T20I cricket.

“You reminded me of the best game of my T20 career. I got a bit of motivation from that. When you play like that and win a game for your team, it is always a good feeling. That night [2016 T20 World Cup match against Australia) was a revelation of how fit you can be on a cricket field,” Kohli said to Star Sports host Sanjay Manjrekar.

With this knock, Virat Kohli surpassed Rohit Sharma to become the highest run-getter in T20I cricket. He has now 2441 runs from 71 matches. He further added that the main reasons for his consistent run in international cricket is the badge in front of his shirt – India, as it is a pride to play for the country.

“Adapting to different formats is nothing but a mindset of making your team win. If you want to win a game for your team, you will find a way. That’s the most important thing. I never think for myself, it’s always about what the team needs. Test cricket, one-day cricket … the will should be to win the game for your country,” added the captain.

However, he praised the bowlers who did the real job by restricting the opponents within 149.

“Bowlers showed a lot of character. The pitch was very good and they (South Africa) got off to a good start so it was an outstanding effort from the bowler to pull the game back from us. That’s exactly what we’re looking at, try out new people and see who stands up under pressure,” he concluded.