I don’t give myself enough credit because I put myself under so much stress already: Virat Kohli

Kohli slammed a 63-ball 100 and continued to dominate the ongoing edition of the global domestic T20 competition. Already amongst the pantheon of modern-day masters, Kohli is rated one of the greatest to have ever graced the game in red-and-white-ball formats.

Virat Kohli Continues To Rule IPL

Despite being the highest run-scorer in the IPL and holding the record for slamming 963 runs, including four tons, in a single edition of the tournament, Kohli doesn’t get the respect he deserves in the T20s. The RCB batting mainstay’s career strike rate of 129.63 is often considered below-par and provides fodder to the critics to get extra-critical of his performances.

Reacting after his phenomenal batting performance, Kohli – while speaking during the post-match presentation – looked a little relaxed and tried to cut some slack. SRH vs RCB IPL 2023: Kohli conjures up a magical ton to steal thunder from Klaasen’s maiden IPL century

Reacting over his unbelievable knock in Hyderabad, Kohli said, “I’ve had a quiet couple of games. The way I was hitting in the nets wasn’t transitioning into the middle in the last 2-3 matches. Wanted to make an impact and my intent was to go after the bowlers from ball 1 – something I’ve done throughout the season. There was a dip but I wanted to pick my game up at the right time.”

The talismanic right-handed batter went on to admit that he sometimes takes the stress upon himself despite achieving so much in this competition. “Was telling the boys – the way I’m looked at as an IPL player is like ‘yeah, he’s fine, a few impact knocks’. It’s my 6th IPL hundred. I don’t give myself enough credit sometimes because I put myself under so much stress already,” he said.

The 34-year-old right-handed batter went on to admit that he isn’t impacted by what others speak about him saying it’s their opinion. “I don’t care what anyone says on the outside. That’s their opinion.

“When you’re in that situation yourself, you know how to win games of cricket. I’ve done that over a long period of time. It’s not like when I play I don’t win games for my team. It’s playing the situation that I take pride in.”

Kohli is one of those classical batters whose shots are trademark cricketing shots, as there’s hardly any fault in his technique, he never looks to play innovative or agricultural shots unlike Glenn Maxwell and Suryakumar Yadav.

“I’ve never been a guy who plays so many fancy shots – was having a chat with Aiden as well. We have to play for 12 months of the year. For me, it’s not about playing fancy shots and throwing my wicket away. We’ve got Test cricket (coming up) after the IPL, have to stay true to my technique. When I can make an impact in an important game, it gives me confidence, it gives the team confidence,” the former India captain added further.

When asked about this particular knock and the importance of it, Kohli said it was a special one considering the gravity of the game – RCB needed to win this one to keep their playoffs hopes alive.

“Quite special considering the magnitude of the game. Thought SRH got a very good score. Ball was gripping as well. We wanted a good solid start. Didn’t expect to be 172/0. But that’s how well Faf (du Plessis) and I have played this season. Faf’s been on a different level.”