IND vs AUS 2022: "If the rest of the batters play around him, then Team India cannot go wrong" - Ashish Nehra feels the Men in Blue are better off with Virat Kohli playing the anchor roleΒ
Former bowler Ashish Nehra feels that Team India performs better when Virat Kohli embraces the anchor role with the rest of the batters expressing themselves around him.
The former captain steered the run chase with a well-compiled fifty during the third T20I against Australia on Sunday, September 25.
Coming into bat in the second over of the run chase itself, Kohli shared partnerships with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya before being dismissed in the final over of the innings.
He paced his innings to perfection with the odd boundary and immaculate strike rotation to finish with 63 off 48 deliveries.
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Opining that Kohli plays according to the situation and does not dwell too much on his strike rate, Nehra said on Cricbuzz:
"Kohli is not concerned about his strike rate, he plays according to the team's demands and what the situation demands. If the rest of the batters play around him, like Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya did, then Team India cannot go wrong."
He added:
"Now, if Kohli comes out and starts hitting from the word go, then that will prove to be problematic, that is only needed when the target is over 220."
Despite the required run-rate being just shy of 10 during a high-pressure run chase, Kohli stuck with his approach. The ace batter pounced on the poor deliveries and helped maintain the run flow with Suryakumar Yadav in full flow at the other end.
Noting that Kohli played a trademark innings today by sticking with his traditional approach rather than the one Steve Smith employed in the first innings, Nehra said:
"Today Kohli came out and played in his true fashion. Now looking at Steve Smith, had he been there a while longer, the score could have been around 195. If you steer away from your roles too much, and try to do something different in these conditions, where the dimensions are big and there is extra bounce on offer, then you will be in trouble."
Steve Smith came out to bat on the back of a brisk start by Cameron Green and Aaron Finch. However, after a patchy start, the former Australian skipper tried an unconventional slog by coming down the wicket, only to be stumped by Dinesh Karthik off Yuzvendra Chahal.
"Kohli came in and plays like he does and everything clicked for India today" - RP Singh
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Kohli's well-planned innings allowed India to complete their comeback and secure the innings by a 2-1 margin.
The series win marked Rohit Sharma's ninth consecutive series win as captain and prolonged India's formidable record in deciding encounters.
Reserving praise for the way Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav played during the middle overs, former India bowler RP Singh said during the same interaction:
"Team India did not do things much differently today. Not many changes were made and Kohli came in and plays like he does and everything clicked for India today. They batted the middle orders exceptionally well."
The Men in Blue managed to score 93 runs in the middle overs, which allowed the required rate to remain in check.
The hosts are next scheduled to play South Africa in a three-match T20I series, beginning on September 28.
Should Virat Kohli continue playing with the same approach moving into the T20 World Cup 2022? Let us know what you think.