The great hitter has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons as he struggles to open the Twenty20 World Cup for India with Virat Kohli. With his best score of 37 against Bangladesh, the right-handed hitter has only scored 75 runs in eight games. There have been calls for the Indian team management to give him his allotted third berth while elevating Rishabh Pant to the position of opener, which has put them under great scrutiny.
Maintaining uniformity in the playing XI is something that Head Coach Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have long done.
A change in the final versus South Africa seems unthinkable given their standard operating procedure. However, Dravid expressed confidence that the former captain of India would perform well in the penultimate game, describing it as a high-risk style of cricket that stands between Kohli and his traditional self.
“With Virat, the point is, there are moments when it doesn’t work out when you play a slightly riskier style of cricket. He was unlucky that the ball seemed to seam a little bit more even though, in my opinion, he still set the pace with a pretty nice six today. However, I admire the goal and the method he used to accomplish it, Dravid stated, as cited by NDTV Sports.
And for some reason, there seems to be a huge one coming up—I don’t want to ruin it. He continued, “I think he deserves it because I really like his approach and how dedicated he is to the game.
It’s likely that Kohli is reserving until the finals: Rohit Sharma
In the tournament’s group stages, Rohit, in addition to Kohli, went unnoticed. Against the formidable Australia, he produced a spectacular return, batting 92 off just 41 deliveries. Since then, he has kept up his game and defeated England in the semifinal with a vital 57 off 39. Following the match, Rohit praised Kohli’s abilities and stated that the World Cup Final is his stage.
“He’s a talented athlete. Any player can experience that. Once more, though, we recognise his class and his significance in all of these major games. After fifteen years of playing cricket, form is never an issue because it never is. He looks terrific, in my opinion. The intention is present. Probably saving for the championship game, Rohit remarked.