The forthcoming Asia Cup 2022, which begins on August 27 in the United Arab Emirates, will see Virat Kohli making his comeback. On 28 August, in Dubai, the Men in Blue would begin their assault against Babar Azam’s Pakistan. After a vacation of more than a month, Kohli is returning to competitive cricket and will attempt to score some runs after a dull England tour.
The legendary batsman Kohli failed to record a single half-century in the six innings he played across all forms in England, with his highest score of the trip coming in the rescheduled Test at Edgbaston with a score of 20.
Former captain Virat Kohli opened up on his mistakes on the Star Sports show ‘Game Plan’. He admitted his errors in England, saying his dismissals followed a similar pattern and that he had put in enough effort to make up for them. He said, “What happened in England was a pattern, so something that I could work on, something that I had to kind of overcome. Right now there is nothing that you can point out saying that the problem is happening here. So, that for me is actually an easier thing to process because I know that I’m batting well. And at times when I start feeling that the rhythm is back then I know that I’m batting well. So, that for me is not an issue, which wasn’t the case in England; I didn’t feel like I was batting well at all. So, I had to work hard on one thing that could be exposed again and again which I overcame; right now this is not the case.”
The ups and downs that come with being a professional athlete are something Kohli is aware of as he prepares for the Asia Cup. He also replied to the recent heavy criticism and doubts about his cricketing abilities from the fans and experts. He said “I know where my game stands and you cannot run this far in your international career without having the ability to counter situations and counter conditions and counter different kinds of bowling.”
He further added, “So, this for me is an easier phase to process, but I don’t want to put this phase behind me. I want to learn from it and I want to understand what are the core values that I have as a sportsperson and as a human being. As long as I’m ticking those boxes, I know there are ups and downs, and when I come out of this phase, I know how consistent I can be. My experiences are sacred to me. Whatever I have experienced in this phase or in the past, as well one thing that I can vouch for, is that I have never valued myself more as a person.”
