When India and Pakistan kick off their Group A campaigns on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, the “greatest rivalry” in cricket will resume. Additionally, it will be legendary Indian hitter Virat Kohli’s 100th T20I outing and his first international game since taking the field in the third ODI against England on July 17.
After a month and a half away from the Indian team, Kohli has now acknowledged that his high level of focus on the field did not come easily. Kohli acknowledged that he was pushing himself to bring that level of energy to the field even though he felt it.
“For me, it never felt abnormal. A lot of people on the outside and even within the team, ask me how do you keep up with it. I just say one simple thing: I want to make my team win at any cost and if that means, I am gasping for breath when I walk off the field, so be it. That’s the kind of preparation I go through, to be able to play like that. Toh woh naturally nahi ho raha tha, aur mujhe push karna pad raha tha (I was not able to get that high intensity naturally, I was pushing myself to do it). But I just didn’t know it,” Virat Kohli Said.
Kohli also discussed the reasons behind his on-field intensity and the people’s reactions to it. “When I get up, I’m the type of person who thinks, ‘Okay, let’s see what the day has in store for me.’ I like to be fully present, actively involved, and joyful in everything I do during the day. I have always been that way.
“People frequently ask me how I handle difficult situations on the field and maintain my level of energy. I simply say to them that I enjoy playing the game and that I would devote every ounce of my energy on the field since I have so much to offer with every ball.
Meezan 
Anamika