Kohli made 59* in 44 balls vs HK, his 31st fifty plus score in T20Is.
The former India opener said that Kohli’s half-century, which came after a long time for him, will only boost his confidence and that runs are runs, regardless of the quality of the opposition bowling attack.
Gambhir also pointed out that the time spent in the middle will be a big boost to the senior campaigner who was struggling for form in the lead-up to the Asia Cup campaign in the UAE.
Kohli had shown some signs of returning to peak form as he made 35 in 34 balls against Pakistan and then hit 3 sixes and one four in his knock against Hong Kong. Kohli took his time to get going but showed signs of his best self, taking on the Hong Kong bowlers.
"I thought Virat Kohli's form was very important. He did not score the runs as quickly as we would have wanted him to but it was important for him to spend time in the middle. This fifty... see a fifty is a fifty, a run is a run, regardless of the opponent. Scoring runs in the middle, in a match situation, is very important. How much ever net practice you do, but nothing can give you as much confidence as scoring runs in the middle," Gambhir told Star Sports.
"I believe that will only get better from hereon, his self-belief will grow and we will be able to see better performances from him," he added.
Gambhir also focused on the fact that Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul couldn’t get going on this sluggish pitch, where Kohli ground his way to an unbeaten half-century.
“You have to work hard in the middle to get runs. Regardless of the opposition, runs are runs. Rohit Sharma also got an opportunity, KL Rahul also got an opportunity but it was Virat Kohli who scored a sixty-odd. The hard work that he is putting in the middle will give him confidence,” he said.