Virat Kohli believes his batting is “coming together nicely” after a stellar three-match ODI series against South Africa. The India captain topped the charts with 302 runs, averaging 151, and closed the decider unbeaten on 65 as India eased to a nine-wicket victory with more than ten overs in hand while chasing 271.
Those numbers came hard on the heels of two consecutive first-ball ducks in Australia, Kohli’s first one-day outings since the IPL finished in June. The contrasting fortunes did not pass him by, yet he sounded relaxed at the presentation ceremony.
“Honestly, just playing the way I have in this series has been the most satisfying thing for me,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve played at this level for a good two-three years now and I feel really free in my mind and just the whole game is coming together nicely, [it’s] very exciting to build on. And something that I’ve always tried to do as a player, maintain my own standards that I’ve set for myself and play at the level that I can make an impact for the team. I know when I can bat like that out there in the middle, then it of course helps the team in a big way because I can bat long, I can bat according to the situation and just being confident makes me feel like any situation out there in the middle, I have what it takes to handle that situation and bring it in favour of the team.”
The 36-year-old took home his 22nd international Player-of-the-Series award, 12 of them in ODIs, and added another personal best by clearing the ropes 12 times – the most sixes he has struck in any 50-over series, World Cups included. His strike rate of 117.05 was his quickest across an ODI campaign since early 2023.
Analyst and former opener Aakash Chopra felt the numbers only told part of the story. “Kohli’s tempo stood out,” he said on television duty. “He was picking gaps early, then shifting gears without looking reckless. That’s the version India want heading into a busy calendar.”
When asked about those sixes, the right-hander’s reply was typically straightforward. “Well, you know, when I play freely then I know I can hit sixes,” he said. “So I just wanted to have some fun because I was batting well, just take a bit more risk, just push my own boundaries and see where I go. There’s always levels you can unlock and you just need to take a risk.”
That willingness to stretch himself after 15 years at the top owes as much to mental resilience as it does technique. Kohli was candid on that point.
“You tend to go into a space where you feel like maybe I’m not good enough, the nerves take over and that’s the beauty of sport, especially a skill like batting where you have to keep overcoming that fear every ball that you play and eventually play long innings and get into a zone again where you can start playing confidently. It’s a whole journey of learning and getting to know yourself better and becoming better as a person along the whole way. I can surely vouch for the fact that being a batsman and realising so much about myself, what kind of negative thinking patterns I have, where I can get into a zone where I don’t feel confident or when I’m feeling like myself, what are those small little details, it just improves you as a person in general and your whole temperament becomes much better and balanced over so many years. So, yes, I’ve had many phases where I’ve do”
Sports psychologist Dr Divya Jain, who has worked with several Indian cricketers, noted the honesty. “Athletes rarely open up mid-series. Kohli addressing doubt so publicly can normalise it for younger players,” she explained.
South Africa’s stand-in skipper Aiden Markram was quick to recognise the gulf on this occasion. “We created chances in the first two games but couldn’t sustain pressure,” he admitted. “When someone like Virat settles, the margin for error shrinks.”
For India, the immediate takeaway is a senior batter rediscovering rhythm just nine months out from the next Champions Trophy. For Kohli, the target appears simpler: keep batting with a “free mind” and see where it leads.
