Kohli the batman is well and truly back

Since his return to action after a month's break from cricket, Virat Kohli has looked rejuvenated. The spring is back in his step and the energy he brings to the field is conspicuous again. The number of runs he has stacked up since the Asia Cup is a reflection of the happy mind-space he finds himself in at the moment.

Having ended a near three-year century drought in international cricket, and that too through a format in which he hadn't had an international three-figure score previously, Kohli is back to being the batter bowlers once feared and respected in equal measure. Well, almost. His sequence of 35, 59 n.o., 60, 0, 122 n.o., 2, 11 and 63 in the last eight T20Is is the most prolific by an Indian batsman since the start of the Asia Cup.

Following his half-century on Sunday against Australia in Hyderabad, Kohli now aggregates 352 runs at an average of 58.66 and a strike rate of 141.93. Both his average and strike rate in the last eight matches are significantly higher than his career average and strike rate of 50.83 and 138.06 respectively. While it's a small sample to deduce anything with certainty, signs of Kohli rediscovering his mojo are hard to miss.

"I've enjoyed my batting ever since I came back during the Asia Cup," Kohli told Star Sports after Sunday's series-clinching win. "I'm really enjoying my process, really working hard on my fitness all over again. I'm excited to go to the gym, excited to go to practice and just contribute to the team's cause. I know the last game (in Nagpur) wasn't a big score, but I felt like I hit two impact boundaries, so I am happy with my contributions. And I am not putting myself down if I'm not getting big runs every time for the team. I'm just trying to stay in this space."

Though he struck a couple of fifties and brought up his maiden T20I century last month against a formidable white-ball Afghanistan attack in ruthless fashion in the Asia Cup, his 48-ball 63 on Sunday was more reassuring. He was composed, yet not too cautious; he played his strokes, yet looked secure. It was the old Kohli, whose presence in the middle calmed nerves in the dressing room and caused anxiety in the rival camp. Despite losing both the openers early in a big chase, India managed to claw their way back into the match through a combination of Kohli's ice and Suryakumar Yadav's fire.

At two down for 30 in a chase of 187, India needed stability without taking the foot off the accelerator. With Kohli providing the stability, Surya got the license to cut loose. While the Mumbaikar did steal the show with a stroke-filled 69 (36b, 5x4, 5x6), the Indian team management would have been as pleased with Kohli's innings.

This was an innings one has been used to - busy without being bustling. He was the force that galvanised India's batting might - the rock around which more natural stroke-makers had the freedom to play their game.

"When Surya started hitting it like that, I kind of looked at the dug-out," Kohli said. "Rohit (Sharma, the captain) and Rahul (Dravid, the head coach) bhai both told me, 'You can just keep batting on' because Surya was striking it that well. It was just about building a partnership, so I used my experience a little bit, stayed back."

Though there were a dozen opinions about whether or not Kohli should bat at No 3, the right-hander has settled the debate emphatically, with the World Cup now less than four weeks away.