Kohli was dismissed after hitting three boundaries at Lord’s, once again discussing his poor form
Kohli was dismissed after hitting three boundaries at Lord’s, once again discussing his poor form
India captain Rohit Sharma has once again come to the rescue of Virat Kohli after the batsman was dismissed for 16 to accentuate his long lean in the second ODI against England.
At the post-match press conference after the team’s 100-run loss against England here on Thursday, Rohit looked agitated as he intercepted a scribe before completing his question on Kohli’s poor form.
Rohit said, “Why is it happening, man. Means I don’t understand, brother. (Why is there so much talk… I can’t understand it).”
“He has played so many matches in such a long time. He is such a great batsman, so he doesn’t need assurances.” If Rohit’s support wasn’t enough, his English counterpart Jos Buttler also backed Kohli to regain his touch, saying a big innings is “always the reason” from a player of his caliber.
Coming back after being ruled out of the first ODI due to a groin strain, Kohli was dismissed for three boundaries at Lord’s, once again discussing his poor form.
Kohli had scores of 1 and 11 in the previous T20I series, and was also dismissed cheaply in the fifth Test against England, leaving legends like Kapil Dev to wonder why he could not be dropped.
But Rohit said that the Indian No. 3 needs no reassurance and his place in the team is secure.
“As I’ve said before, form can go up and down, it’s part and parcel of every cricketer’s career. Even the greatest of cricketers have their share of ups and downs.
He said, ‘For India, who has won so many matches, needs one or two innings to come back. I think so and I am sure everyone who follows cricket will think so. “I know there are discussions going on but we have to understand that we have seen over the years, players go through ups and downs, but quality never goes away, we have to keep that in mind.” “Look at their past records, hundreds, their average. They have experience. You’ve slipped into personal life too.” Just before the Indian team reached Lord’s for the second match, the BCCI had announced the squad for the upcoming T20I series in the West Indies, which did not feature Kohli. He is said to have sought rest.
In line with Rohit’s views, Butler also backed the 33-year-old Kohli.
“I think it’s quite refreshing for the rest of us that he (Kohli) is a human being and he may have had some low scores but look, he has been one of the best players, if not the best in the world. in ODI cricket,” said the English captain.
“So, he has been a prolific player for so many years and all the batsmen, it just proves, go through runs of form where they don’t perform as well as they can at times, but of course As an opposition captain, you know a player that has always owed that class, so you’re hoping it doesn’t come against us,” Butler said.
Opting to field, the Rohit-led side thrashed England at 148/6, recovering at 246.
The overall proved more than enough as the top-order collapsed before India were bundled out for 146 in 38.5 overs.
“It is also a challenge for us, whenever we lose the first five-six wickets, we also have to learn how our lower order can score runs as well,” he said.
“For quite a long time, this team has been sick. We need to focus a little bit more on it, how to bring more balance to it and improve our batting.” Urging his batsmen to change their mindset and take the game forward, Rohit said: “The game is evolving, the batting is evolving. As a team we also need to evolve.
“We need to change our mindset, try to be extra positive and take the game forward. We have to see if there is any other way when you are chasing this kind of target. Is there anything different that you are batting with? Can do as a unit?
He said, “I think you can do that. It’s happened to us on a few occasions. Imagine the confidence they can get from this depends on that particular person, it will create confidence in the middle as well.” “
Pakistan captain Babar Azam also came out in support of Kohli. Posting a picture on social media with a tweet saying, “This too shall pass,” Azam backed Kohli’s dismissal after hitting three boundaries.
Tri-chain or quadrilateral chain way forward
On the relevance of bilateral series with the international calendar, Rohit said a tri-nation or quadrangular tournament could be the way forward.
“I think it’s important but it can be managed better for sure. Scheduling has to be done with some space as well. You have to play bilateral series, there was a time, when we were kids, I Grown up, I’ve seen a lot of tri-series or quadrilateral series, but that has completely stopped.
“I think this could be the way forward so that a team has enough time to recover and come back. These are all high-pressure games that we play, whenever you represent your country, So you want to come out with a lot of intensity.” “You don’t want to compromise on that, of course, I understand that when we play a bilateral series, the scheduling and the time between each game is a little bit better, not just from India’s point of view, but across all the boards. can be managed.
“If that happens, you see the best quality of players coming out and representing every game. When you play back-to-back games, you have to look after the players and understand the workload. .
“Honestly, from the outside world, people want to see all the best players play and if those things are managed well, the quality of cricket will not be compromised,” he signed off.