Asia Cup 2022: "He was always keen to take the ball"- Virat Kohli's childhood coach on India star's bowling
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma was delighted to see his student bowl against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup. Kohli bowled just one over, conceding six runs and it was difficult for the batters to put him away easily.
Virat Kohli is arguably one of the best batters the game has ever seen. But Sharma also opened up on how confident he was as a bowler during his early days.
There are two popular instances when it comes to Kohli's exploits with the ball. The first is a rather unhappy memory for him as he was smashed around the park by Albie Morkel in the 2012 edition of the Indian Premier League.
The second is a much better account of the fighter he is. Kohli bowled in the 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal and picked up a crucial wicket against the mighty West Indies.
Speaking on India News Sports, here's what Rajkumar Sharma had to say about Kohli's utility as a bowler:
"Virat was always confident as a bowler. Morkel did dent his confidence a bit in the past (laughs) but he was always keen to take the ball and used to say - 'give me the ball, I will pick wickets.' So it is great to see him bowling again."
Yuzvendra Chahal will be crucial for India if they want to do well against Pakistan: Rajkumar Sharma
Rajkumar Sharma feels leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal could play a huge role in India's clash against Pakistan on Sunday. The 32-year-old has gone wicketless in the two games so far but has provided economical spells with the ball.
Varun Chakravarthy in UAE for Team India in T20Is -
3 Matches 0 Wickets
Yuzvendra Chahal in UAE for Team India in T20Is -
2 Matches 0 Wickets
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Sharma feels the game against Pakistan will be a big one for Chahal as he can dictate terms in the middle-overs if he gets into his groove. He stated:
"I have high hopes for Chahal to do well against Pakistan. He is an experienced bowler and knows how to pick wickets in the middle-overs. He will be crucial for India if they want to restrict the Pakistan batting by taking wickets at regular intervals."
With Ravindra Jadeja injured, should Virat Kohli continued to be used as a sixth bowling option? Or should they bring in the likes of Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel? Let us know in the comments.