'Virat can teach you': India star on importance of Kohli in pressure situations, 'He can tell you how to...'

Virat Kohli has put up some strong performances in India's recent T20 matches against Pakistan.

Virat Kohli has shown over the course of this year why it is that he had come to be recognised among the best T20 batters in the world. The former India captain's place in the Indian team had come under the scanner due to his alarming drop in strike rate and average particularly in the shortest format of the game. However, he steadily worked his way back and seems close to being back to his best since the Asia Cup earlier this year.

Kohli seems to have got his touch back in T20 cricket this year. (ANI)

India's campaign in the T20 World Cup starts with a match against arch-rivals Pakistan and Kohli had played a starring role the last time the two sides met. While India ended up losing the Asia Cup Super 4s match, Kohli had scored 60 off 44 balls, setting up strong partnerships with Rishabh Pant and Deepak Hooda. Pant had scored just 14 in 12 balls in that game and it remains to be seen if he will be part of the playing eleven for the team's T20 World Cup opener on Sunday.

Pant had also played a role during India's 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup last year. While the match itself was largely a forgettable one for Indian players and fans, Pant's 53-run partnership with Kohli was a rare period when the team looked steady.

The wicketkeeper-batter spoke about why it is important to have Kohli in matches like these. "He (Kohli) can actually teach you how to go through situations, which might help you in your cricket journey going forward, so it is nice batting with him as always," Pant was quoted as saying by the T20 World Cup site.

"It’s good to have someone with a lot of experience batting with you because he can tell you how to take the game on and how to maintain that run-a-ball pressure kind of thing." India face Pakistan on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.