Yet, his recent success can be attributed to a diametrically opposite mindset: the willingness to leave the ball alone.
"When someone is bowling at you at 140-145 kmph, there isn't time to decide and think later on, after the ball is bowled. You need to commit, either to play a particular shot or to leave it," he said on Tuesday, a couple of days after a stunning hundred in the opening One-dayer.
"I learnt this lesson in South Africa and I had it very clearly in my mind when I walked in to bat on Sunday."
Ironically, he believes that the best way to leave a bouncer is to aim to hit it. "If you are looking to leave it, your weight is already on the backfoot and you are in no position to leave it or hit it. If you are looking to hit it, you take your body forward and then you are balanced enough to duck under it."
Of course, such maturity is the offshoot of an innate quality: confidence. You can see it in his swagger on the field, and in the fire in his eye. "I know that if I get into a good position, set up a good base, I have more chances of executing my shots."
Kohli executed his plan brilliantly, setting the McLean Park alight with his sparkling stroke-play; his 123 all but took India home, chasing a big total, and he accepts the importance of finishing it. "It would have been great if we had won. But it is a positive start, and I am sure we will bat more responsibly."
The 26-year-old is clearly evolving with time, and the added responsibility of being the go-to bat in the Indian team is only acting as a motivator. Crucially, he realises that he can't wear his aggression on the sleeve anymore.
"I am not 21 anymore. I am growing up," he said, slipping into the role of elder statesman. "I am not that immature that I don't know where to control my aggression." Indeed, he accepted that he made mistakes in the past. "Yes, I have gone over the top and have done things that you shouldn't in international cricket."
"If I wasn't able to control my aggression, I would be nowhere. My career would have been over even before it started," he said with rare candour. "I have learnt that you don't have to cross the line."
Giving an example, he said: "Last game, the bowler gave me a stare. I gave him a stare back too but didn't say anything. I realise it is important to make your presence felt but it doesn't always have to be with words.
"I know now that the opposition wants to get me out. That's why they try to rattle me and get me into a fight. But that gives me one more reason not to get out," he added.
He deconstructed his reputation as chase-master rather simply: "When you know how many runs you need, I can analyse situations and figure out how many I need to score at every stage, and what I need to do to put the team in a strong position. "You have to do so many things while chasing: calculate, take on a particular bowler, defend another, build a partnership with one, then another, and then to finish the innings. It is very special if you are able to finish the game," he explained.
Kohli is not perturbed by a team's tactic to attack Indians with pace and bounce. "We just have to be good enough to stand up to the challenge, fit enough to counter deliveries."
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