'Asked Virat why he doesn't play some fancy shots, he replied...': Ian Chappell recalls Kohli's 'amazing' response
Ian Chappell recalls Virat Kohli's incredible response when he asked the former Indian captain on the reason behind not opting to play ‘fancy shots’.
Team India is close to securing a spot in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. On Wednesday, the side defeated Bangladesh in a dramatic finish in a rain-hit match in Adelaide, securing its third victory of the competition in four matches. India are currently at the top of the table in Group 2 and will take on Zimbabwe in their final match of the Super 12 stage on Sunday. One of the biggest factors behind India's victories in the T20 World Cup so far has been the impressive form of Virat Kohli.
Kohli made a blistering start in India's campaign at the tournament, scoring an unbeaten 82 off just 53 balls to take the side to a memorable win over Pakistan. He scored another unbeaten half-century against Netherlands, and scored a valiant 64* off 44 deliveries in the side's last match against Bangladesh, playing a key role in all of India's three victories in the tournament.
Additionally, Kohli's six off the backfoot against Haris Rauf in the match against Pakistan has drawn immense appreciation from fans and former cricketers around the world, and during a discussion on the Sydney Morning Herald, former Australia captain Ian Chappell, while talking about the shot, also recalled an interview he did with Kohli a few years ago, revealing what Kohli replied to a question about not attempting ‘fancy shots’.
“We did an interview with Virat Kohli, couple of years ago. It was a magnificent example of talking about the game. When we asked Virat about why don't you use some of the fancy shots, he said, 'I don't want them to creep into my Test game'. That's one of the amazing things about Virat Kohli. He makes all these runs at a very good rate, and he does it with normal cricketing shots,” Chappell recalled.
“Few alleviate and get hit into the stands, that doesn't mean it's a slog. As Mark (Taylor) described, off the backfoot, hitting straight, it's a cricket shot, except you don't hit it in the air. But he did, and he did 90 metres,” Chappell further said.
With 220 runs in four matches, Kohli is the highest run-scorer in this edition of the World Cup so far. Interestingly, the Indian batter also went past Sri Lanka great Mahela Jayawardene for most runs in the history of the tournament during this edition. Kohli currently has 1065 runs in the T20 World Cup in merely 23 innings, boasting of an incredible average of 88.75 and a strike rate of 132.46.
