Virat Kohli‘s continued poor form in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup has brought in opinions from several cricketers, experts and fans alike. However, few people have seen Kohli’s game from up close better than former India coach Ravi Shastri. Shastri and Kohli shared a great bond as coach and captain of Team India in all formats. After Kohli’s failure against England in the semi-final, Shastri said that he should stick to his natural game without trying to be overly aggressive.
“This is not his game. He’s going too early for it, especially with Rohit Sharma playing aggressively at the other end,” opined Shastri, speaking on Star Sports.
“He is more orthodox, but he can make up quite easily if he spends more time at the crease,” said Shastri.
Against England, Kohli had hit a six off Reece Topley in the third over. However, just two balls later, Kohli had to walk back to the dugout as he misjudged the ball while trying to play big towards mid-wicket.
“When he tries to get out of his zone, he will get out in that fashion,” Shastri said.
“He has tried to manufacture shots that are not there. You should do that when you’re in top form, when you’ve got 300 runs in the competition. When you’re looking to break free when the runs are not there, it’s not easy. The key word is rhythm,” Shastri added.
Despite Kohli’s failure with the bat, his opening partner Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant 39-ball 57. Along with Suryakumar Yadav‘s 47 off 36 balls and handy cameos at the back end, India posted 171 in 20 overs on a tricky, wet Guyana pitch.
“I think Kohli should’ve played like Kohli has done for a decade,” said former English cricketer Nasser Hussain.
Having made just 75 runs in seven innings so far, Kohli will be aiming for a royal finish to the 2024 T20 World Cup with a big score in the final against South Africa, in Barbados on June 29.
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