Virat Kohli on iconic knock vs Pakistan in T20 World Cup: 'Can't make any sense of it'

Virat Kohli played an iconic knock for India against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. Recollecting his experience at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which set the tone of India's campaign, he admitted he "still can't make any sense of it."

Ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup Down Under, Kohli had been struggling to find his form for nearly two years. However, his unbeaten 82 off 53 balls turned out to be one of the finest knocks of his career till date.

In a Puma event on Saturday, Kohli shared some unheard stories from India's encounter with Pakistan at MCG last year and also opened up on how he was under an incredible amount of stress.

"My mind was spinning so fast was like this is worse than it was before. I had spiralled down so far down that there is no comeback from here and that was my honest feeling at the halfway mark. That is when my instinct took over. So, when I stopped thinking and planning, whatever God-given talent I have that came to the surface and then I felt like something higher was guiding me. I can't claim any of that," Kohli said during the event," Kohli said.

The former India captain also stated that whatever happened that night against Pakistan will never be repeated in his career.

"I was trying to do it before as well but it wasn't working. The lesson for me was stop using your mind so much because it actually pushes you away from real magic. What happened that night, I can never explain it and it won't happen ever again.

"I still can't make any sense of it. That's a very honest admission. And a lot of people have tried to ask me what were you thinking, how did you plan and I have no answers. The fact of the matter is that I was so much under pressure that my mind had shut off completely by the 12th or 13th over," Kohli added further.

There was a point during India's chase when Kohli zoned out completely and forgot all directions from head coach Rahul Dravid.

"I was going through what I was going through, then I came back in the Asia Cup and I was playing well and I felt like 'Wow I'm ready to play in this World Cup'. At the 10th over mark, we were 31 for 4 and I had just ran Axar out. I was 12 off 25 balls, or something. I remember in the break, Rahul bhai came to me and I don't remember what he said. I swear and I even told him this as well. I told him, 'I have no idea what you told me in that break because I was zoned out'," said Kohli at a Puma event.

Even though India suffered a defeat in the semi-final to eventual champions England, Kohli finished the tournament as the leading scorer. The Indian batter scored 296 runs in six matches, including four half-centuries, at a fine average of 98.67 and strike-rate of 136.41.

Kohli is currently with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as they are set to play their first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Sunday against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Chinnaswamy Stadium.