All eyes are on star batter Virat Kohli’s form at the top of the order, as he has suffered mightily in the previous games as India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign moves into the vital Super Eight stage.
The 35-year-old has not yet achieved even a single double-digit score due to severe struggles. Matthew Hayden, a former Australian batting great, says that the Indian selectors are correct to continue believing in Kohli as the opener and feels that he would return to form during the Caribbean part of the tournament.
Having just finished an incredible IPL 2024 season in which he scored 741 runs and won the Orange Cap, Kohli came at the main event. His IPL success as an opener played a major role in him being selected to partner India’s captain Rohit Sharma at the top. On the other hand, the veteran is under pressure following his first round results of 1, 4, and 0. Having watched the Indian legend, Virat Kohli, up close during the IPL, Hayden is certain that he has to keep opening the batting.
“During the IPL, we had a lot of conversations. At that moment, I was arguing for Kohli’s inclusion in the team. During the Indian Premier League, he made a statement by playing a superb opening role. Virat at 3 He wouldn’t be able to bring out the best in Virat Kohli, and as I’ve already stated, these aren’t just pick up wickets and hammer 250 runs. In a special Star Sports press room broadcast, Hayden stated, “You need to be thinking about the bowlers’ performance and the cricketers.”
When he gets here in the Caribbean, Virat Kohli is going to face some opposition: Matthew Hayden
The former cricket player is confident that Kohli would lead his squad to strong beginnings and perform admirably in the Caribbean. Regarding their Barbados innings against England, he also cited Travis Head and David Warner as examples.
“And his performance in Barbados on sort of sluggish wicket initially, he scored 38 runs and it was an important well-constructed 30, so what is your benchmark or is it 100’s or 50s or is it strike rate and the way that Travis Head and David Warner came out on a pretty good wicket in Barbados against England and just blew the ground away that’s what Virat Kohli is going to be challenged with when he arrives here in the Caribbean,” he continued.
In a format as fast-paced as Twenty20s, Hayden emphasised the value of getting off to a quick start. The left-hander feels that the match’s opening ten overs are extremely important since they set the tone for the rest of it.
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“So he has to open in my opinion and I believe the pressure for the next week and a half where he’s going to be open up and he will show you what I believe why the Indian selectors will have faith in him at that position and he needs to continue also to have a great strike rate because clearly what we’ve seen with the pattern emerges here in the World Cup is that those 6 overs you have to be in front of the game, here it’s too hard to catch up if you’re looking to go you know in the back half of this game must be a good pretty good first 10 overs,” he stated.
After eliminating their opponents, Pakistan, the United States, and Ireland, the Men in Blue emerged victorious from the group stage, losing their match against Canada. They are grouped with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Australia in the Super Eight.
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