"The specialty of his batting is that he is fully in control of the situation" - Sanjay Bangar lauds Virat Kohli's match-winning century

Sanjay Bangar believes Virat Kohli's specialty is that he is fully in control of the situation while batting in the middle.

Kohli smoked an unbeaten 166 off 110 balls in the third ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, January 15. The Men in Blue set a monumental 391-run target for Dasun Shanaka and Co. and eventually won the match by a massive margin of 317 runs.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Bangar was asked about his thoughts on Virat Kohli's ability to pace his innings, to which he responded:

"The longer he plays, the specialty of his batting is that he is fully in control of the situation. To stop himself from playing the big shots despite having them, you can see how much control he has over his abilities."

The former Indian batting coach pointed out that Kohli generally refrains from playing big shots before crossing the three-figure mark, observing:

"He never tries to play the big shots before getting to a hundred. He tries to hit boundaries until then. As soon as he scores a hundred, the last 30-35 balls he plays, his strike rate remains more than 200."

Bangar praised the Indian batting mainstay for restraining himself despite having the ability to hit maximums, stating:

"His shot-making ability is close to any finisher and it is a special thing that despite having that big-hitting ability, he is able to control that and paces his innings accordingly."

Kohli reached his hundred off 85 deliveries, with the help of 10 fours and a six. His next 66 runs came off only 25 balls and included seven sixes and three fours.

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"Technique plays a huge role in his amazing consistency" - Sanjay Bangar on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was at his destructive best in the final few overs of India's innings. [P/C: BCCI]

Bangar was further asked about Virat Kohli having struck eight sixes during his innings, the most in his ODI career, to which he replied:

"I feel technique plays a huge role in his amazing consistency. Despite being so tired, he was doing the early setup in the last 20-25 balls. He was standing making a huge base and when he was expecting slower deliveries, he was using his feet slightly. He sticks to whatever he plans to do, and because of that he continues to be consistent."

Kohli's unbeaten 166 was his second-highest score in ODI cricket. He is now just three short of Sachin Tendulkar's record tally of 49 ODI tons and surpassed Mahela Jayawardene to become the fifth-highest run-scorer in the 50-over format during the course of his innings.