T20 World Cup 2022: "You need a batter who adapts to the situation" - Saba Karim on why Virat Kohli should play his natural game
Former Indian selector Saba Karim believes Virat Kohli doesn't need to completely commit to Team India's new brand of ultra-attacking batting. The 33-year-old tried the same during the T20Is against England and it certainly looked like he was a bit too desperate to score quickly.
The former captain has now returned from a break and looks pretty clear with how he wants to approach his innings. He is currently the highest run-scorer in the Asia Cup, having smashed 276 runs in five innings at a fantastic average of 92 and a strike rate of 147.59.
Kohli also finally ended his century drought by scoring his maiden T20I hundred against Afghanistan this week.
Speaking to India News Sports on Saturday, Karim gave an example of that hundred and explained how comfortably Virat Kohli changed gears once he was set. He said:
"Virat Kohli has the ability to up the ante even if he plays run-a-ball for the first few deliveries. So this is the right template for Team India where others bat around him and go for the big shots. You need a batter who adapts to the situation and controls the innings and among all the batters they have, Kohli is the most experienced in playing this way."
Still thinking about #ViratKohli's 𝟕𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲! 🥺💙
DP World #AsiaCup2022 #BelieveInBlue #TeamIndia #KingKohli | @imVkohli https://t.co/u6amxNFEPD
Saba Karim also spoke about how important it is for Team India to not panic after their Asia Cup debacle. He also believes Kohli should be used wisely in the next couple of series so that he is still fresh and firing for the T20 World Cup.
On this, he stated:
"We need to understand that we played good cricket before the Asia Cup with the current template and if we rectify a couple of mistakes that we made, we are good to go. No matter where he bats in the top order, Kohli will remain a threat to the opposition. So it is important for the management to preserve players like he, Rohit and Hardik so that they give their best in the T20 World Cup."
Don't think Virat Kohli will want a break: Reetinder Sodhi
Former Indian cricketer Reetinder Sodhi, who was also present on the same panel, disagreed with what Karim had to say. Sodhi feels it is necessary for Kohli to play every game in the build-up to the T20 World Cup to ensure that he doesn't lose the form that he has got back after a long time:
"I don't think Virat Kohli will want a break because now he is in good form and would like to extend that against Australia. He is back among the runs and his feet are moving well so he would want to reach peak form by the time T20 World Cup begins."
Should Virat Kohli play in both the T20I series against Australia and South Africa? Or should he take another short break before the T20 World Cup? Let us know in the comments.