"Won't ask Pujara to attack and Sehwag to defend"- Ajay Jadeja slams Virat Kohli's approach
Former Indian batsman Ajay Jadeja has questioned Virat Kohli's approach in the first T20I against England in Ahmedabad. Kohli and his men suffered a crushing defeat as the visitors won by eight wickets.
In a press conference before the first T20I, the Indian skipper had assured to play a brand of cricket suiting the demands of the shortest format. He had also announced that Rohit Sharma would open alongside KL Rahul in T20Is.
Hence, Jadeja couldn't fathom Virat Kohli's decision to rest Rohit and go ahead with Shikhar Dhawan as the opener.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, the 50-year-old stated that players like Dhawan could not be the answer to Kohli and Team India's 'new approach' to T20Is.
"I thought maybe Rishabh Pant will open, then Hardik Pandya and we will see a new aggressive approach. If your approach is aggressive then you will use the resource in that way. You won’t ask Cheteshwar Pujara to attack and Virender Sehwag to defend," Jadeja said.
The way Virat Kohli batted is a worrying factor: Ajay Jadeja
Virat Kohli failed to open his account in the first T20I as he was dismissed by leg-spinner Adil Rashid. The 32-year-old tried to muscle the ball over mid-off but could not clear Chris Jordan, who gleefully accepted the catch.
Jadeja was a bit worried with the way Virat Kohli approached his innings in the first T20I. The 50-year-old believes that the Indian captain must focus on his strength, which is timing the ball.
He feels Kohli's main role in this Indian team is that of an anchor and not to play high-risk shots in a bid to score quick runs.
"Virat Kohli provides solidity to the team. He never was the most powerful striker, yes he can play aggressively but after getting set and there is a pattern. He doesn’t need to change anything. The way he has batted (in 1st T20I) is a worrying factor for me. He should send someone else if he wants quick runs,” Jadeja asserted.
Although Kohli stated at the toss that Rohit would be rested for the first two games, there is speculation that the 33-year-old could feature in the second T20I on Sunday.
With potential debutants Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan waiting in the wings, it will be interesting to see what changes Kohli makes to the batting line-up in order to stage a comeback in the series.