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Former Australia captain Aaron Finch talked about how different will be RCB's Virat Kohli's batting approach from MI's Rohit Sharma in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 which is set to start from March 22.
According to Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli possesses the capability to match the high strike rates of any modern T20 star. However, Finch contends that the specific structure of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru necessitates a more calculated batting strategy from Kohli. While Rohit Sharma, for instance, transitioned to a high-risk, high-reward approach later in his T20 career, Kohli fulfills the role of the anchor within RCB's batting order. Finch argues that pressuring Kohli to adopt an excessively aggressive style could potentially compromise his consistency, which is crucial for the team's overall performance.
"Well, the question you have to ask yourself is, do you want 700 or 800 runs or are you happy with 400? Because if you want Virat to strike higher, he can absolutely do that. But with that comes a higher risk and the consistency will go down," Finch told PTI in an exclusive interaction ahead of IPL 2025.
Finch recognises the transformative shift in T20 cricket, where teams increasingly emphasize aggressive batting during the initial Powerplay overs. However, he also cautions against the unrealistic expectation that every batsman should maintain a strike rate of 200 from the outset. Finch also talked about the importance of understanding individual roles and team dynamics, suggesting that a nuanced approach is often more effective than a blanket expectation of ultra-aggression.
"So I don't think that there's a huge need to change. Maybe it's changing the tempo up slightly. But overall, I would bank on his runs every single day of the week. And then you start to build your team around somebody like that," he added.
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While Kohli and Rohit have maintained comparable IPL strike rates throughout their careers, Rohit Sharma adopted a more high-risk batting strategy as his career progressed. Finch attributes this shift to the composition of the Mumbai Indians' squad, which provided Rohit with the liberty to play more aggressively. In contrast, Finch argues that the current structure of the RCB team does not afford Kohli the same level of freedom. This difference in team dynamics and player roles necessitates a more measured approach from Kohli, who serves as the anchor of the RCB batting lineup.
"... when you look at the way that Rohit's done it, have a look at the players that he's had around him. He's still had the foundations of a player that the team can bat around him. So it's okay to walk out and swing from the hip and look to try and dominate and hit a lot of sixes from early in your innings. But you have to understand the dynamics of the team around that," Finch concluded.
All eyes will be hooked on the batting maestros Kohli and Rohit in the IPL 2025. While Kohli's RCB will kick off IPL 2025 campaign against KKR on March 22, while Rohit's MI will take on CSK in their first match on March 23.
