India's former skipper Virat Kohli hit back at his critics with a fiery 52 off 41 in the second T20 match against West Indies on Friday (February 18). The 32-year-old highly touted batter, gave glimpses of his top notch batting and he was quite happy with his intent while playing shots during India's competitive total of 186 at the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata.
Kohli's exceptional knock had seven fours and a six and a welcome return to form after a dry spell of four games.
"I had decided to stay positive but then we lost a few (Rohit Sharma, Surya Kumar Yadav) wickets. I still wanted to keep going but unfortunately I got out ," Kohli said.
"I was happy with my intent that I wanted to play my shots. Sometimes when you play with responsibility over a period of time, you tend to ask (yourself) if you want to play the big shots early. You don't want to be reckless but at the same time you want to play your shots. That is the balance you strive for," the former India captain added
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Kohli praised Rishabh Pant's quickfire half-century and his stand of 76 in just 5.5 overs with Venkatesh Iyer.
"Today, I was happy with that balance. The wicket was gripping in the middle so if we are smart with the ball, we have got got enough. Special mention for Rishabh and Venky's performance in the end. They have got us those 10 extra runs," Kohli said.
India ended up posting 186/5 in the stipulated 20 overs, thanks to the 76-run stand between the duo of Venkatesh Iyer and Rishabh Pant for the fifth wicket. When asked if the total on the board is enough, the former captain seemed optimistic.
Chasing their 100th T20I win, India, early on, were guided by Kohli who took charge of the proceedings after Roston Chase exposed the Indian middle order.
Kohli hit his 30th fifty in the shortest format, his first since the 57 versus Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on October 24 last year.
The former captain's sheer elegance was on full display as he cut, pulled and also took the aerial route en route to his 41-ball 52 that had seven fours and one six.
Luck also favoured Kohli on the day as the former skipper brought up his 30th T20I fifty with a slog over long-on after Jason Holder failed to get hold of the catch as the ball went over the boundary.
But Kohli failed to make it big and was cleaned up by Chase two balls later after the Windies off-spinner breached his gate for his third wicket.
