Asia Cup 2022: "I don't think we do justice" - Rohan Gavaskar on whether Virat Kohli's knock against Hong Kong is a sign of him regaining form
Rohan Gavaskar feels it would be unfair to Virat Kohli if his form is judged based on a half-century against Hong Kong.
Kohli scored an unbeaten 59 off 44 deliveries as India set a massive 193-run target for Hong Kong in their final Asia Cup 2022 Group A game in Dubai on Wednesday (August 31). Their bowlers then restricted Nizakat Khan's side to 152/5 to win the game by a comfortable margin of 40 runs.
During an interaction on the Sports 18 show 'Sports Over the Top', Gavaskar was asked about his views on whether Kohli's half-century was a one-off or if he has started to regain his form. He responded:
"The fact that we have to talk about Virat Kohli getting a half-century against Hong Kong, I don't think we do justice to the ability and the kind of performances that Virat has done in the past."
Gavaskar added that a fifty from Kohli's willow was almost a certainty when he played against arguably weaker attacks like Hong Kong in the past. The former India all-rounder observed:
"A half-century against Hong Kong is something that we would have taken for granted in the past when Virat is going out to bat, this is with all due respect to Hong Kong, because this is what he has done against most teams."
Kohli's unbeaten 59 was his second T20I half-century in six innings this year. He scored a fifty against West Indies as well but has struggled for form otherwise, including while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022.
"No one is hoping that's a one-off" - Rohan Gavaskar on Virat Kohli's half-century
Gavaskar hopes Kohli's effort against Hong Kong is a sign of him regaining form. He elaborated:
"As any Indian cricket fan will tell you, no one is hoping that's a one-off. We are hoping that's Virat getting back into form because we have seen what Virat can do, what Virat is capable of. He has shown glimpses."
st T20I half-century! 
🏻
Virat Kohli gets to his 3️⃣1️⃣st T20I half-century! 👏🏻👏🏻
Just the impetus #TeamIndia needed!
#PlayBold #INDvHK #AsiaCup2022 #ViratKohli https://t.co/3dhhXueKba
Gavaskar concluded by observing that Team India need stalwarts like Kohli to be at their best at the upcoming T20 World Cup. The cricketer-turned-analyst said:
"He has gone through a little bit of a rough patch, he has gone through a terrible phase, and as you said, this is hopefully a sign of things to come. Going into that World Cup, we need players like Virat, who are world beaters, to be in the best form of their lives."
Virat Kohli doing what he does the best! 🤩
📸: BCCI | #INDvHK #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/fk3H2KLrtv
Kohli's unbeaten half-century against Hong Kong came on the back of a 34-ball 35 against Pakistan. He was not at his fluent best in either of those innings, but the time spent at the crease should hold him in good stead going forward.