Team India will return to action on August 28 when the side takes on Pakistan in an electrifying men's Asia Cup 2022 clash. The match may also see the return of Virat Kohli to Indian colours after over a month; the India batting great was rested for the limited-overs tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe. Kohli has been going through a rough patch over the past few months – he had an indifferent Indian Premier League season, scoring only one half-century in 16 matches, and followed it up with another poor outing in England where his highest score was 20 across six innings in all formats.
As Kohli returns to the Team India squad, hopes are high from the star batter and many believe that the 33-year-old will have a rejuvenation of sorts. Former India cricketer and Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Sanjay Bangar, who worked closely with Kohli during the IPL season this year, revealed that Kohli didn't want to talk about the game throughout the three-week break, and will return to the field with a fresh mind.
“He will be starting afresh. He has had numerous breaks in between as well, but those weren't meant to be defined as break. Here, he has taken a three-week off, he went away from the game,” Bangar said on a YouTube video posted by Star Sports earlier this week.
“He didn't want to talk about it. From that perspective, in his mind, the way he wants to play is very clear. The best Virat Kohli has played is when he is being himself. There's no point in him trying to be an athlete or human being which the world wants to see. What's more important is what he wants to see in himself. In that, he is very very clear,” Bangar further said.
{{/usCountry}}“He didn't want to talk about it. From that perspective, in his mind, the way he wants to play is very clear. The best Virat Kohli has played is when he is being himself. There's no point in him trying to be an athlete or human being which the world wants to see. What's more important is what he wants to see in himself. In that, he is very very clear,” Bangar further said.
{{/usCountry}}If Kohli takes the field in India's Asia Cup opener against Pakistan, it will be his 100th T20I appearance, making him the only second Indian to reach the mark. At 132 appearances, Rohit Sharma has played the most number of T20Is – not only for India but overall as well.