Virat Kohli's power game is back: Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons that Virat Kohli found his “power game” again in the Asia Cup 2022. Manjrekar said that the star Indian batter has been trusting power game and that he has been able to score runs off good balls as well. He explained that it is all about confidence, which he felt was “tender” in Kohli in the recent past.

Kohli, prior to the Asia Cup was going through one of the leanest patches in his career, averaging around 25 across formats for the calendar year. He had also gone over 1000 days without a century in the internationals. But in the continental tournament, he scored two fifties and a hundred and seemed to have found his feet again.

“See, right from the Asia Cup every match that he (Kohli) got runs, not just the runs, there was some improvement coming,” said Manjrekar on Sports18’s daily sports news show Sports Over The Top. “I think the power game is back, he’s trusting his power game. There was a time when he was getting runs but his power game was not coming at his beck and call, that is starting to happen. He’s dispatching good balls for big boundaries and sixes.” 

Now it’s about putting these performances in main event: Manjrekar

“It’s all about confidence, this is a guy who’s damn self-confident and drives himself to excellence but for long-time runs weren’t coming and his confidence was tender. But during the Asia Cup, slowly and steadily, certain things start to happen, the pull shots came in, and the sixes started going more into the stands than just going over the rope as it was going in the IPL,” added the former Indian batter.

In the Asia Cup, Kohli scored 276 runs in five matches at an average of 92 and a strike rate of 147.59 with a top score of unbeaten 122. He also scored a match-defining 63 off 48 in India’s six-wicket victory over Australia in Hyderabad on September 25. “So, the pieces falling back to frame the perfect picture. Now it’s all about putting all these kinds of performances in the main event,” said the 57-year-old.