IND vs WI: The Crowd And The West Indies Fielding Setup Are Two Things That Fired Virat Kohli Up- Ajay Jadeja

Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja observed two things that could have fired up Indian batter, Virat Kohli, in the second T20I against the West Indies on Friday. Kohli scored a well-pacer 52 off 41 balls studded with seven fours and a six.

He came out with a mindset to attack and took off right from the first delivery. Jadeja spoke about the reasoning behind the aggressive route taken by Kohli. He mentioned that one of the reasons was the attacking field that opposition captain, Keiron Pollard had set which is something Kohli may not have experienced before.

“Two things were different today… One was that Pollard [coming at short-leg]. Suddenly there was a moment Virat Kohli must not have experienced for a very, very long time. You know, Virat Kohli, when he comes out, teams are not looking to get him out the first ball or thinking ‘Let’s try and attack him.’”

“That puts you in a different frame of mind. And then, as he said himself as well, there’s nice to have not a full house but at least some people in the crowd because Virat Kohli, I have always believed, has thrived on the energy around him and from the ground. The bigger the game, Virat Kohli becomes this larger-than-life personality and brings out something special,” Jadeja told Cricbuzz.

“He came out with a clear mind” – Dinesh Karthik backs Ajay Jadeja’s words

Dinesh Karthik also believes that Kohli was in the right mindset right from the beginning which helped his cause. Attacking in the powerplay is much easier and Kohli often opted to take the aerial route when the field was up. Although he did slow down after a couple of wickets fell, he ensured the innings kept afloat.

“I think he came out with a very clear mind – he wanted to attack from ball one. There’s one shot that stands out. His first boundary off Akeal Hossein, just a flick off the pad, that’s genius. It’s very hard to hit such a shot and make it look much easier than it is.”

“He’s a class act. It was so good to see him attack bowlers right from the outset and keep that momentum going. I know he would be disappointed but he’s one of those guys that if he crosses that phase, he’s one of the most destructive players in the last 5 overs as well,” Karthik added.

India defeated West Indies by 8 runs in the second game and have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match series. The final game will be a dead rubber played on Sunday.

Also Read – IND vs WI: Happy With My Intent – Virat Kohli Striving To Find Balance Between Intent And Recklessness