Virat Kohli says he has rediscovered his peak batting level for the first time in three years after inspiring India to a series-clinching victory over South Africa in their three-match one-day international (ODI) series.
Capping a remarkable turnaround from recent struggles, the 37-year-old former skipper walked away with the player of the series trophy following India’s 2-1 series triumph on Saturday.
Kohli amassed 302 runs, which included two tons and an unbeaten half-century at a stunning average of 151. His series-ending flourish came in the decisive match in Visakhapatnam as India chased down 271 for victory.
After Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden ODI hundred and Rohit Sharma’s 75 laid the foundation, Kohli smashed 65 off 45 balls with three sixes before dramatically scoring the winning runs by charging down the pitch.
His performance marked a spectacular resurrection for a player who endured intense scrutiny following back-to-back ducks in Australia, but has since compiled 376 runs in his last four innings.
The 23-year-old Jaiswal, who now has tons in all three international formats, struggled at the start with Rohit leading the batting charge to raise his 61st ODI half-century.
Rohit got past 20,000 international runs during the knock to be only the fourth Indian after Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli and Rahul Dravid to achieve the feat.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj cut short Rohit’s innings after seven fours and three sixes in his 73-ball knock.
Jaiswal switched gears after his fifty and hit a string of boundaries to ease into the target.
The bowlers set up victory after left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna took four wickets each to bowl out South Africa for 270 in 47.5 overs.
With the series level at 1-1, India finally won an ODI toss after losing 20 in a row as skipper KL Rahul broke the scarcely believable jinx and put South Africa in to bat.
Opener Quinton de Kock made 106 off 89 balls and put on 113 runs with skipper Temba Bavuma, who made 48, as South Africa looked set for a big total at 168-2 but the batting collapsed.
“We probably should have been smarter as we gifted wickets,” said Bavuma. “The Indian team showed their quality, kudos to them.”
‘I feel free in my mind’
“Honestly, just playing the way I have in this series has been the most satisfying thing for me. I don’t think I’ve played at this level for a good two-three years now and I feel really free in my mind. The whole game is coming together nicely,” Kohli said.
“It’s very exciting to build on and something that I’ve always tried to do as a player, kind of maintain my own standards that I’ve set for myself and play at the level that I can make an impact for the team.
“And I know when I can bat like that out there in the middle, it helps the team in a big way because I can bat long, I can bat according to the situation. Just being confident makes me feel like … I have what it takes to handle that situation and bring it in favour of the team.”
The veteran, who retired from tests and T20 internationals, admitted that even players of his experience – with more than 16 years in ODI cricket – faced periods of self-doubt, especially when one mistake could affect a batter’s confidence.
“You tend to go into a space where you feel like, ‘Maybe I’m not good enough’ The nerves take over and that’s the beauty of sport. Especially a skill like batting, where you have to keep overcoming that fear,” Kohli explained after the match.
“Every ball that you play, and eventually play long innings, and get into a zone again where you can start playing confidently. So it’s a whole journey of learning and getting to know yourself better and becoming better as a person along the whole way.
The ODI series win is some consolation for the 2-0 Test whitewash by the Proteas although it was achieved after the team was boosted by the presence of veterans Kohli and Rohit who now play just the 50-over format.
The two teams now head into five T20 matches starting Tuesday in Cuttack.
