IPL 2016: Virat Kohli believes ability to clear boundaries in death overs allows him to pace his innings well

The Indian batting maestro, Virat Kohli, who scored his third T20 hundred against the Lions last night, said that his strong belief in his ability to clear boundaries in the death overs has allowed him to pace his innings well, and is the secret to his consistency in the shortest format.

The 27-year-old batsman, after yesterday’s game, said he does not feel pressure while scoring at run-a-ball for the first 25 odd-runs because he knows he has the ability to score 45 runs in the next 15 balls.

“I don't mind playing run-a-ball for the first 20-25 balls because I know that I can get 40-45 runs in the next 15 balls. Now I believe more in my ability to hit sixes or pick gaps for boundaries in the final overs."

Kohli smashed 109 off just 55 balls last night, as Royal Challengers Bangalore triumphed to a 144-run victory over Gujarat Lions in a must-win game for them. His 229-run partnership with AB de Villiers left the Gujarat bowlers stunned, as they set up a massive total of 248 for the Lions to chase down.

Until the 18th over, Kohli had scored an unruffled half-century – 52 off 41 balls – playing an anchoring role to the explosive De Villiers.

"I see that they [teams] have plans outside the off stump for me and they keep two fielders on the boundary straight away. They want me to do something stupid. At that point, you need to understand that they want you out.

“They would rather not have you batting on 15 off 20 balls because they know that once you get in you will cash in later," Kohli told iplt20.com.

Kohli attacked almost every ball in the next three overs, with two fours and six sixes coming off them. The most expensive over was that of Shivil Kaushik, which went for 30 runs, equalling Bravo’s 18th over. It took the captain just 12 balls to storm through from 52 to 109.

"But when the chinaman bowler (Kaushik) came in later on, I knew he was not going to have a lot of control with his length. So I was ready on the front foot. But I didn't step out because I didn't want to give him a chance to adjust and bowl back of length and turn the ball.

“If there is no turn in the pitch, even if it's a flat ball, I would go for a six straight over the bowler's head or over covers. Otherwise I try to stay as still as possible."

It is a conscious effort to stay consistent, and still play orthodox cricket : Kohli

The right-hand batsman has been in tremendous form in 2016 and has taken everyone by surprise in the Indian Premier League with his consistency in playing orthodox cricket. He has 677 runs from 11 innings, averaging 75.22 and a strike-rate of 148.14.

"It [persisting with his methods] is a conscious effort, to be very honest. It is more like 'Eat, sleep, train, repeat'. If you want to be consistent, you need to be boring with your training, your food and your batting habits.

“I want to build my innings in the same way every time I go in to bat. Once you start taking the sport and your form for granted, a bad patch comes in and it makes you chase after every single run," Kohli said.