Virat Kohli’s self-belief will grow after good start to Asia Cup 2022: Gautam Gambhir
India Today
Asia Cup 2022: Gautam Gambhir lauded Virat Kohli's 44-ball 59 not out vs Hong Kong, saying the time the former captain is spending in the middle in the UAE will only boost his confidence as he looks to return to peak form.
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on Virat Kohli, saying the good start to Asia Cup 2022 campaign will give the former captain self-belief to hit peak form and contribute to the senior national team more in the T20I format of the game.
Gambhir said the 44-ball 59 not out against Hong Kong will only boost Virat Kohli's confidence and that runs are runs, regardless of the quality of the opposition bowling attack. Gambhir also pointed out that the time spent in the middle will be a big boost to the senior campaigner who was struggling for form in the lead-up to the Asia Cup campaign in the UAE.
Virat Kohli showed signs of a return to form when he hit 3 sixes and a boundary in a proactive knock against Hong Kong on Wednesday, August 31. It was the second steady knock on the trot from Kohli after he hit a crucial 34-ball 35 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup opener on Sunday.
On a pitch that was relatively sluggish, Kohli took his time to get going but showed signs of his best self, taking on the Hong Kong bowlers in a 98-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav, which came as a game-changer.
"I thought Virat Kohli's form was very important. He did not score the runs as quickly as we would have wanted him to but it was important for him to spend time in the middle. This fifty... see a fifty is a fifty, a run is a run, regardless of the opponent. Scoring runs in the middle, in a match situation, is very important. How much ever net practice you do, but nothing can give you as much confidence as scoring runs in the middle," Gambhir told Star Sports after India's 40-run win over Hong Kong.
"I believe that will only get better from hereon, his self-belief will grow and we will be able to see better performances from him," he added.
Gambhir pointed out that Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were not able to get going on the pitch where Kohli ground his way out to score his 31st T20I fifty.
