It was business as usual for Team India and for their captain Virat Kohli. After the first match of the series was washed out, the action shifted to Mohali for the second T20I. Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl first on a true Mohali surface. The Indian bowlers were very consistent and disciplined and restricted South Africa to 149 for 5, a score which was never going to hassle the Indian batting order.
And when chase master Virat Kohli hit his stride, the hosts were always favourite to cruise to the target. The Indian captain was in the zone and found gaps, ran hard, found boundaries as he led his side easily past the target. He ended with an unbeaten 72 and in the process, became the first batsman to average more than 50 in all the three formats.
Praises the bowlers
"Bowlers showed a lot of character. The pitch was very good and they (South Africa) got off to a good start so it was an outstanding effort from the bowler to pull the game back from us," he said at the post-match press conference.
When asked about what keeps his motivation while chasing and how does he keep himself motivated on such a regular basis, Kohli said that every time he wears the badge of the country, he needs no further motivation.
"The badge in front of my shirt - India - it is a pride to play for my country. Whatever it takes, whichever format, to get us across the line, I'll do that. Adapting in different formats is nothing but a mindset of making your team win. If you want to win a game for your team, you will find a way. That's the most important thing. I never think for myself, it's always about what the team needs. Test cricket, one-day cricket ... the will should be to win the game for your country,: Kohli further added.
Also, in the process, Virat Kohli broke two world records and incidentally both of them belonged to his teammate and India limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma. The skipper started the match on 2,369 runs in 65 innings to Rohit's 2,422 runs in 88 innings. However, the opener was dismissed for just 12, while Kohli went on to remain unbeaten and see India home, getting a 7 runs lead of Rohit in the highest run scorer's list.
