Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer is confident that Virat Kohli will display his full potential in the decisive phases of the Men’s T20 World Cup, despite his current poor form. Kohli has struggled in the New York leg, managing only five runs in three innings.
Kohli entered the tournament on a high note after topping the run charts in IPL 2024 with 741 runs in 15 matches. However, in the T20 World Cup, he has struggled on challenging pitches, scoring 1, 4, and 0 in India’s first three Group A games. Jaffer remains optimistic about Kohli’s capabilities.
“Rohit and Virat have been playing on the tough New York pitch, so they aren’t among the top run-scorers. But do not write off Virat Kohli. As the tournament progresses to its crucial stages, he will show his true colors and greatness. I picked Virat Kohli as the highest run-scorer and I will stick to him,” Jaffer expressed on his YouTube channel.
Jaffer also dismissed the idea of Kohli moving back to the number three position, highlighting Rishabh Pant‘s success in that role. “I don’t think Virat Kohli should bat at No. 3. He should continue to open because now you have got Rishabh Pant at No. 3, and it has been working out really well. You ideally want a left-hand right-hand opening combination, and with Jaiswal, that doesn’t seem possible.”
Jaffer emphasized the importance of a proactive approach in power-play batting for India’s upcoming matches. He believes a more aggressive strategy could benefit the team. “You need to be proactive in the powerplay. Playing cautiously on such pitches won’t help because the bowler just has to bowl on a spot and let the pitch do the rest. We’ve seen players like Rishabh Pant get rewarded for their bravery, and that’s the way to play with the powerplay restrictions.”
Looking ahead to India‘s final Group A game against Canada on June 15 in Florida, Jaffer suggested that Sanju Samson could be considered for the number four spot if the team decides to leave out Shivam Dube. “There might be a case for Sanju Samson at No. 4. But then Shivam Dube has played just a couple of games, and the team management will want to give him a longer run. Whether Samson will play, whether Jaiswal will play, these are decisions the team management will need to think about going forward,” he concluded.
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