Virat Kohli opens up on struggle with form: ‘When I come out of this phase, I know how consistent I can be’ – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Virat Kohli will soon be back in action in the 2022 Asia Cup where India open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on 28 August. Kohli, who last played a match for India on 17 July in England, has witnessed a sharp dip in form. Kohli’s last century came in 2019 against Bangladesh and the 33-year-old scored just 76 runs in six innings across different formats on the tour of England.

Kohli was then rested for the tour of West Indies and Zimbabwe by the selectors to give him the much-needed break. Set to make a return to the national side, the upcoming Asia Cup provides an opportunity for Kohli to regain his mojo on the international stage.

Watch: Top India vs Pakistan thrillers and other classic matches of Asia Cup

Kohli, in a conversation on the Star Sports show Game Plan, spoke about his mental approach for the Asia Cup and also compared his current struggle for runs with the 2014 tour of England where he had failed with the bat.

“What happened in England was a pattern, so something that I could work on and something that I had to kind of overcome. Right now, as you rightly mentioned, there is nothing that you can point out saying that the problem is happening here. So, that for me, is actually an easier thing to process because I know that I’m batting well and at times, when I start feeling that rhythm back, then I know that I’m batting well,” Kohli said.

“So, that for me is not an issue, which wasn’t the case in England; I didn’t feel like I was batting well at all. So, I had to work hard on one thing that could be exposed again and again which I overcame; right now this is not the case,” he said.

The India vs Pakistan match is also set to be Kohli’s 100^th T20I. It’s been a long journey for Kohli in international cricket and the former India captain added that while he may not be scoring a lot of runs at the moment, he wants to “learn” from the ongoing phase.

“I know where my game stands and you cannot run this far in your international career without having the ability to counter situations and counter conditions and counter different kinds of bowling. So, this for me, is an easier phase to process, but I don’t want to put this phase behind me. I want to learn from it and I want to understand what core values I have, as a sportsperson and as a human being.

“As long as I’m ticking those boxes, I know there are ups and downs, and when I come out of this phase, I know how consistent I can be. My experiences are sacred to me. Whatever I have experienced in this phase or in the past, as well one thing that I can vouch for is that I have never valued myself more as a person.”

Asia Cup: Check Team India’s fixtures and squad for the tournament

Despite of talks about Kohli’s poor run with the bat, he has looked comfortable when at the crease and it has always seemed like he will score big before one ball, out of nowhere, gets him out and ends all the mystery.

The Asia Cup will be a moment of reckoning in the true sense for Kohli and if he fails to perform in the tournament, there might be serious questions about his place in the team.

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