Kohli's appetite for runs appears insatiable

A second successive man of the match award came as further reiteration of the young man’s insatiable appetite for runs and the desperate desire to make a difference to the fortunes of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The only player retained by RCB, Kohli has already been worth every bit of the $1.8 million his franchise paid out from the auction purse. The challenge of being a -- and the only -- retained player by his team appeals to the 22-year-old.

“For the last three years, I wanted to be someone the team could look up to, so I don’t think of taking it as pressure in being the only player retained by RCB,” said Kohli, as much at ease in front of the media as taking Jerome Taylor and Alfonso Thomas apart. “It’s an honour and a privilege for me; that gives me more confidence. Obviously, there is a bit of pressure because they have retained you, but I take it as a challenge. A bit of pressure is nice, especially for a batsman, and I really like it.”

 The Orange Cap, given to the highest run-scorer in the competition, is bound to change hands frequently, but it fit snugly on his young head as Kohli spoke of the importance of wearing that particular piece of headgear. “It won’t put any pressure on me because I have been wanting to bat up the order for the last three IPLs and this time, I’ve got this chance,” he observed. “I have always wanted to be in the top five (run-makers) in IPL, which I could not do because I was batting at 5-6-7.

“This year, I have had the opportunity to win some matches for the team, score some runs as well and I am really really happy that I have earned the Orange Cap,” added Kohli, who on Friday became only the second batsman after Jacques Kallis to score 1000 IPL runs for the Royal Challengers. “I would like to hold on to it, but the competition is tough.”

One of India’s more consistent performers in the World Cup, Kohli said a new technique he had been following was paying rich dividends. “I just close my eyes and take a deep breath before going into bat, and that helps me a lot,” Kohli revealed. “It is something I have been doing since the World Cup and it has been very helpful. Sometimes, your mind gets diverted and distracted, but when I go through that routine, I can shut everything else out and just go in and bat.

“I obviously go in with a game plan but I don’t do any special strategy like I have to score so many runs in so many balls,” Kohli went on, talking about how he approaches an innings. “I play according to the situation, You have to analyse the game when you go in to bat. Before going in to bat a lot of thoughts come into my mind, I try to relax as much as possible.”

The Challengers’ next game is only next Friday, at home against Kings XI Punjab. “It was a key game for us because after this, we have a six-day break so the mood in the team had to be positive,” he observed. “It was our most convincing victory so far. Everyone was geared up to field and bowl well. We had a few scary moments today but we believed in ourselves and fielded really well, probably the best fielding effort in the last few games. I wanted to make a special contribution on the field, so me, AB and Dilshan were cheering the guys up, telling them to stay strong.”