Virat Kohli on Saturday said a free mind helped him push limits after his stellar batting led India to a 2-1 ODI series victory over South Africa on Saturday.
The 37-year-old amassed 302 runs including two centuries and one fiftyin three matches to dispel any doubts over his enduring quality as a top-order batter.
Kohli capped off the series with an unbeaten 65 off 45 balls in the deciding ODI in Visakhapatnam as India bossed their chase of 271 to win with 61 balls and nine wickets to spare.
“Honestly, playing the way I have in the series is the most satisfying thing for me,” Kohli said after being named player of the series.
“I don’t think I have played at this level for a good two-three years now and I feel really free in my mind. Just the whole game is coming together nicely.”
Kohli hit six fours and three sixes to tear into the opposition attack as he drove and flicked with ease to roll back the years.
“When I play freely, then I know I can hit sixes,” he said. “So, I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well. Just push my own boundaries and see where we go, you know. There’s always levels you can unlock and you just need to take a risk.”
Kohli hit a match-winning 135 in the opener in Ranchi for his 52nd ODI ton and followed it up with a 102, albeit in a losing cause, in the second ODI.
In the decider, Kohli came out to bat with India on course after a 155-run opening stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal, who made an unbeaten 116, and fellow stalwart Rohit Sharma, who hit 75.
He entertained the crowd with his attacking strokeplay and finished the match with two boundaries.
“I’ve tried to maintain my own standards that I have set for myself and play at the level that I can make an impact for the team,” said Kohli.
“I know when I can bat like that in the middle, it helps the team in a big way. And just being confident makes you feel any situation in the middle. I know what it takes to handle that and bring it in favour of the team.”
Both Kohli and Rohit, 38, play just the ODI format after they retired from Tests and T20s and the two greats have been under constant pressure to perform and stretch their careers until the 2027 50-over World Cup.
The two once again stood up with half-centuries in the decider and Kohli said they have always relished pressure situations.
“That’s what we’ve always done over so many years and that’s why we’ve been able to play for so long because we’ve always been aligned to what the team needs and what we can do with our skill sets according to the situation,” said Kohli.
“And yeah, just happy that both of us continue to do so even now and help the team.”
