Former India opener Aakash Chopra said it was nice to see star Indian batter Virat Kohli’s revitalised and aggressive style approach in T20 cricket, but believes that the team may need him as an anchor in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States.
Virat Kohli appeared to be keen to prove his doubters wrong as he returned to T20I cricket after 14 months. The former captain went after Afghanistan’s bowlers from the start as he struck a partnership alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal to pull the game away from the visiting side in the first six overs, helping the chasing team to 69 for 2 in the powerplay.
Speaking on his Jiocinema, Aakash Chopra highlighted Virat Kohli’s performance in the T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ODI World Cup using an aggressive game plan, and he wants the Indian batting maestro to score runs consistently at a modest strike rate rather than trying too hard to score runs at higher run-rates.
“I think he did something like this before the last T20 World Cup. He tried to hit from the word go. See, he is capable of doing it. If Virat Kohli decides that he wants to be aggressive from the word go, if he wants to show that kind of intent, he will do it. No doubt about it,”
“If you expect Virat Kohli to come and strike every delivery and score at a rate of 180-200, you will be underselling Virat Kohli. You need Virat Kohli’s strike rate to stay at 139, if he goes in search of 189, then his consistency will go away,” Aakash Chopra said.
Virat Kohli is not someone who attacks the bowling from the start in T20 Cricket and is more of an accumulator for the team than an attacker. The 35-year-old’s recent weakness in the T20 powerplay was his ability to people spin and attack them in middle overs and the ace batter would be keen on improving his game going into the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli Will Be Able To Switch Gears Anytime And Finish Games – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra referred to Virat Kohli as the “Lion in the Jungle,” claiming that his presence on the pitch would put pressure on the opponents. He believes Kohli has the ability to shift gears depending on the match situation and could be key to the team’s success in the marquee event.
“Why are we scared of going into the jungle? Because there is the lion. The lion doesn’t eat you all the time, but the fear is there because you know that the lion is there. Likewise, Virat Kohli is the lion here.
“He will be there in the middle, he might not hurt you as much, but you know till the time he is there, the chances of India winning are high. He will be able to switch gears anytime and finish games”.
“It’s important that Virat Kohli stays in the middle like it’s important for the lion is there in the jungle. Whether it hunts or not is a separate story,” Aakash Chopra added.
In the previous edition, Virat Kohli scored 296 runs in six games with an average of over 100, including a match-winning performance against Pakistan in the World Cup opener, and can turn up for the team in big matches in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
