Kohli lauds ‘outstanding’ new-ball attack

The two men at the top, while batting and bowling. Those have been the key for India in its march to the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final. Them and the captain himself, though Virat Kohli underplayed his own role in taking the team just one step away from defending the title it had won in 2013.

He’s been the pivot in the middle, and along with the two sets of openers, the prime drivers behind India’s charge. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are the only two men with more than 300 runs in the tournament so far. While Dhawan has 317, Rohit has 304. Dhawan’s strike-rate is a whopping 102.25. Rohit has been more sedate, but only comparatively, at 87.60. Kohli sits fifth right now with 253 runs, but he’s been dismissed only once, and he too is going at better than a run-a-ball, having faced 252 deliveries.

And the pair of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been no less. Bumrah’s economy rate of 4.30 is the best in the tournament for bowlers who have bowled at least 20 overs. Bhuvneshwar, at 4.70, is tenth on the list, but is joint fifth on the wicket-takers’ list with six scalps.

All of them came to the fore in the semi-final against Bangladesh, where a fine bowling performance was followed by a crushing show with the bat as India overhauled Bangladesh’s 264 for 7 in just 40.1 overs and for the loss of only one wicket at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar began operating as a twosome in India’s virtual quarter-final against South Africa, and in two must-win matches, they have been exceptional.

“Outstanding,” was how Kohli put it after the win against Bangladesh. “Especially the last two games, they've been terrific initially and in the later stages as well. Their wicket-taking ability is something the opposition always knows, so they're always careful going hard against these two guys. And their lengths after the Sri Lanka game, the length and line has been impeccable. So consistent, bowling close to the batsmen, always there with an opportunity to get a wicket. Even in conditions which are not offering too much, bowling such lines that we can produce wicket-taking opportunities. Big credit to both of them for getting us where we stand right now.”

Kohli was no less gushing about his opening batsmen. “The way Rohit and Shikhar batted, it just gave me so much confidence sitting in the changing room,” he said. “These guys just went out and especially Shikhar, the way he took off was outstanding. Those two guys really dent the opposition mentally and you can come in and play your shots. And once you get going, the wicket was obviously very nice to bat on, as well. I don't want to take all the credit. It was a beautiful wicket to bat on, and the outfield was quick, so I think it was great conditions to bat today, and as batsmen you do want to capitalise.”

Kohli might have downplayed his own role, but he has been no less vital to India. On Thursday, he became the fastest man to 8,000 ODI runs, bettering the mark set by his good friend AB de Villiers.

Kohli missed out on a 28th ODI century, ending on an imperious 96 not out off just 78 balls, but as always, he sang the team winning note ahead of the individual milestone one.

“I'm really enjoying the way I'm batting,” said Kohli. “For me, the number of runs do not matter at this stage. I'm really enjoying the process, and something which is giving me joy is that whatever I'm practising and how I prepared after the IPL is paying off in this tournament. So I'm pretty happy getting the team across the line, honestly. Doesn't matter if it's three figures or two or even one. I want to apply myself in any situation possible.”

The IPL this year hadn’t gone well for Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore, his team finishing at the bottom of the table. But Kohli has successfully put that little downturn behind him to resume his dominant ways. And he said the credit for that, and in fact his entire batting performance hitting a new high in the last two years, went to Sanjay Bangar, the Indian batting coach, and Raghavindra, the throw-down specialist who has become part of India’s support staff.

“The amount of work all the coaches have put in, but batting specifically Sanjay Bangar specialises in. And we have Raghu for our throw-downs too,” said Kohli. “The way he makes us practice, at speeds of 145-150 kph in the nets, it becomes easier for us to face bowlers in the match. Those who are bowling at 140 seem comparatively easier. From that point of view, the preparations we have got are exactly like a match scenario, and a lot of credit goes to them. On a personal level, I can say that it’s because of these two that the last two years I have had whatever improvements in my batting. Their input is priceless, they have taken my batting to another level. They deserve a lot of credit from the batting group.”