Virat Kohli reflects on his learnings amid a lean patch
Virat Kohli brought up his second successive ODI century in the series opener versus Sri Lanka. It was Kohli's 45th ton in the format as he ended up scoring 113 off 87 balls. Riding on his brilliance, India recorded an emphatic 67-run win. The former Indian skipper was pleased with his performance as he reflected upon his lean patch after the game. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Kohli, who now owns 73 international centuries, didn't touch the three-figure mark between November 2019 and September 2022. His drought ended in the T20 Asia Cup as the veteran slammed his maiden T20I ton versus Afghanistan. He has since been among heavy runs in white-ball cricket. Kohli's preceding ODI assignment saw him scoring a match-winning 113 against Bangladesh.
Kohli opens up about his lean patch
Kohli learned that "desperation doesn't get you anywhere" and one needs to keep things simple. "The game still remains very simple. It's when we start complicating things with our own attachments," he stated after the game. "I think when that perspective goes off, you start putting yourself in a space where everything just keeps spiralling downwards," added the batter.
Play every game like it's your last game: Kohli
Kohli further said that the "detachment" from the expectations helped him regain his form. "It's only that detachment, in the real sense, [that helps], where you go out there playing without any fear, and you go out there playing for the right reasons, almost playing every game like it's your last game and being happy about it, not being sad about it."
A look at the notable numbers
Kohli brought up his century with a single, having consumed 80 balls. In terms of ODI tons (45), Kohli is only next to Sachin Tendulkar (49). He also went past the 12,500-run mark (12584) in ODIs at 57.72. He also has 64 fifties under his belt. In 48 matches versus Sri Lanka, Kohli has piled up over 2,300 runs in the format.
Other landmarks accomplished by Kohli
Kohli has become the first-ever player to have slammed nine centuries against two different oppositions in ODI cricket. He also has as many tons in 41 ODI innings against West Indies. Notably, Tendulkar is the only other batter with nine ODI tons against an opposition (vs Australia). Interestingly, Kohli also has eight centuries against the Aussies in the format.
Joint-most ODI centuries at home
Kohli now has the joint-most centuries at home in ODI cricket along with Tendulkar (20). Interestingly, Kohli and Tendulkar are the Indian only players with over 15 home ODI centuries. Rohit Sharma follows them with 11 such ODI tons.
