(AP Photo)

Team India continues its winning streak in the ongoing T20 World Cup across the USA and the West Indies. Having topped Group A, Rohit Sharma’s squad defeated Afghanistan in the Super 8 opener on Wednesday. A victory in their upcoming match against the same opponent would edge them closer to the semifinals. Batting coach Vikram Rathour expressed his desire for Virat Kohli to regain his form.

Kohli entered the tournament after a successful IPL season where he secured the Orange Cap with 741 runs. However, his performance in the current tournament has not matched expectations, with scores of 1, 4, 0, and 24 in four outings. The anticipation remains for a significant innings from one of the tournament’s premier batsmen.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Rathour mentioned his hope for Kohli to return to scoring form. He acknowledged that Kohli’s lean patch has provided opportunities for less experienced players to step up and contribute effectively to the team’s success.

“I’m not happy. I would love it if he gets going and scores more runs,” Rathour said when asked about the team’s unbeaten run in the event without Kohli’s contribution.

“But yeah, it is good when you are challenged at times. You know, the guys who are not getting too much batting in India sometimes, they are the ones who put up scores today and our middle-order came to play. So, it was good to see,” he said.

India’s upcoming match against Bangladesh in Antigua on Saturday will benefit from their squad composition, which includes four spinners. This strategic choice enhances the team’s strength, especially given the favorable spin-friendly conditions prevalent in the Caribbean.

“We’ve always had depth as a team, I believe. But yeah, these conditions maybe suit us more because we can afford to play two or three spinners at times. So that I believe can be our best team. That is our strength.

“It feels like…somebody like Axar (Patel) playing at eight gives you a lot of confidence because he can bat and he’s bowling really well at the moment. So, it does give you a lot of options,” Rathour said.