The Indian T20 World Cup winning squad met PM Modi for a special interaction on Thursday, July 4. One of the highlights of the meeting was Virat Kohli sharing him being under-confident when he played the finale against South Africa.
With 75 runs in seven innings, Kohli was under tremendous pressure to give India a massive win. His body language was remarkably subdued, and his batting made a horrible impression of his former dominant self. However, Kohli’s two closest teammates did not share his self-doubt.
After the England semifinal, captain Rohit Sharma stated that Kohli is most likely saving his best for the championship, a statement that coach Rahul Dravid soon after repeated.
Call it destiny, but Kohli once again decided to return to form on the biggest platform, smashing 76 off 59 balls. Player of the Match winner Kohli acknowledged after the game that he had been feeling low about himself the entire time.
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In fact, there were rumblings in the dressing room when they saw a somber-looking Kohli being comforted by coach Dravid following his dismissal for nine in the semi-final match against England.
But like with great athletes, everything comes together with a little bit of courage and good fortune. This was it for Kohli; the stakes couldn’t have been higher for his first half-century of the competition and his final T20I career.
While interacting with PM Modi, Kohli stated, “That day will stay forever in my heart because I couldn’t contribute much to the team in the tournament. I even told Rahul Dravid bhai that I haven’t done justice for the team and myself so far. But he told me that when the opportunity arrives, I am sure that you will perform.”
He added while reminiscing about the T20 World Cup final, “Even when Rohit and I were going to bat, I told him that I don’t have enough confidence. But when I got three boundaries in the first over, I told him ‘What is happening? One day, I am not getting a single run, and now I’ve got three boundaries in an over.”
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