(Source Cricfit)
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has emphasized the importance of Virat Kohli finding form ahead of the upcoming semi-final clash between India and England in Guyana. In this edition, Kohli has been tasked with opening the innings, a departure from his usual middle-order role in previous tournaments. However, he and Rohit Sharma have struggled to provide solid starts for India thus far.
Kohli’s performance in the tournament has been disappointing, managing just 66 runs in 6 matches at an average of 11 and a strike rate of 100. His recent dismissal for a duck against Australia highlights his current form slump.
As the tournament nears its decisive stages, India will rely heavily on their star batsman to rediscover his touch and make significant contributions. On a positive note, other batsmen such as Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya have shown promising glimpses of form, which provides optimism for the team’s prospects.
In a recent upload on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed his belief that Virat Kohli needs to regain his form. Chopra emphasized the importance of both Rohit Sharma and Kohli making significant contributions, especially considering the expected conditions on what he predicts to be a less high-scoring pitch. He stressed the necessity for key performances from the batsmen in the upcoming matches.
“I feel Rohit Sharma is there to protect the Indian team and Kohli’s bat will finally have to talk now. We will need protection from not one but two players in the opening. Since it’s a 125 to 130-run match, it’s great if Rohit fires, and even if he doesn’t, I am thinking 20-25 runs from everyone,” Chopra said.
“I feel you should reach 130-135 somehow if you get to bat first. In such a scenario, small contributions become extremely valuable. Whether it’s Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya or Shivam Dube, we want small performances from all of them, and it should work out with that,” Chopra explained.
Aakash Chopra anticipates a low-scoring affair for the upcoming match. He believes the pitch conditions will favor spinners, suggesting that even a total of 135 runs could pose a significant challenge for the batting side. Chopra also speculated that if India wins the toss, they are likely to opt to bat first under such conditions.
“The Indian team will bat first after winning the toss because runs are not scored on this ground. The average score is 120-odd. A rank-turner pitch has been prepared. It’s looking like a slightly underprepared pitch. This is not a 160-run pitch unless someone has rolled it with water,” the former India batter elaborated in the video.
India is set to face England in a much-awaited semi-final showdown on June 27, echoing their encounter in the previous edition’s semi-final, where England clinched a dominant 10-wicket victory over India in Adelaide. India aims to learn from past errors and assert themselves in this crucial match.
In another development, South Africa secured the first semi-final berth in this year’s T20 World Cup by defeating Afghanistan convincingly with a 9-wicket victory. The match was characterized by low scores, with South Africa’s bowlers proving formidable against Afghanistan, who posted their lowest-ever total in T20 Internationals.
