India Vs West Indies: Chasing A Target Gets Me Going, Says Virat Kohli After Record-Breaking Ton

After a record-breaking century in the fifth and final One-Day International against West Indies on Friday (July 6), India skipper Virat Kohli has given an insight on what really makes him such a good chaser. The 28-year old scored an unbeaten 111 to help the Men in Blue beat West Indies by 8-wickets to clinch the series 3-1.

The century helped Kohli to break his illustrious ex-teammate and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar‘s record for most hundreds in chases. The knock against Jason Holder & Co. was Kohli’s 18th in a chase as he surpassed Tendulkar who has 17. What is even more impressive is the time Kohli took to break Tendulkar’s record. While the Little Master took 232 innings to score 17 hundreds, Kohli has taken just 102 innings to cross Tendulkar’s mark.

Speaking at the post-match conference, Kohli said having a score on the board makes it easier for him to pace his innings. Expressing his liking to bat second, Kohli said: “I mentioned I like to have a total on the board, exactly what you need to do and when to take on the bowlers, which bowler to take on and at what stage of the game. To read situations it becomes easier when you have a total on the board. It doesn’t happen often every time, but more often than not, if you can believe that whatever total is on the board you can plan and chase it down, it ends up happening. Naturally I like those kind of scenarios, the target is in front of me, it becomes a challenge that you got to achieve. It gets me going.”

After coming off a brilliant performance in the Champions Trophy where he scored three half-centuries in five games, Kohli began the series in West Indies on a good note, scoring 32* and 87 in the first two games. But surprisingly, the hosts managed to find a small weakness in Kohli’s otherwise solid game and dismissed him cheaply with short balls. Kohli said he was not happy to get out in the same fashion in successive games but was delighted to end the series on a high.

“I don’t like to get out in similar fashion more often. The reason you succeed at international cricket is you have to stretch the gap between your mistakes and I think a couple of mistakes for me, getting out in the same manner is something I don’t like. It was more of on being strict on myself and then getting the team across the line, which I knew the victory was inevitable when I got the hundred.

“If you get into a clear mindset and give yourself targets, after reaching 30-40, I am going to start pulling the ball or I am going to start taking on the short ball. Then your targets become easier, you have a clearer picture so as to when you want to take on the short ball,” he noted.

“I was not too happy about how I was getting out and then end up getting a century convincingly and remaining not out and getting your team across the line, I think it is a complete package for a batsman, you cannot have a more ideal scenario.

“When you have a chanceless knock as well, where you have not given half chances as well, from that point of view, it was a complete day personally and for the team as well,” Kohli mentioned.

The century was also Kohli’s 28th ODI hundred and he has now equalled Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya’s record of 28 tons in ODIs and is behind just Tendulkar (49) and Ricky Ponting (30) in the list of most centuries in the 50-overs game. When asked about his favourite century so far, the Indian batting star hesitated in rating his knocks but mentioned his knock in the ODI series opener against England in Pune as ‘special’.

“It’s difficult to rate centuries and I would still say the last one was still more special, because the total was so massive and we were 63 for 4. So in hindsight you look at those things, you understand the importance of those knocks. The 49 against Pakistan in Bangladesh is the best I have played in the last couple of years, it was only 49, was not even 50. The quality of the knock, you can only sit down and think later. When you play in different conditions, you know how difficult the previous conditions were. You just want to keep scoring and that’s about it,” he said.