Virat Kohli's struggles with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup are impossible to ignore, especially considering his phenomenal record in the tournament. Virat Kohli has consistently delivered in past editions, making his current scores of 1, 4, and 0 even more surprising. Despite Kohli's recent slump, Kohli remains the leading run scorer in T20 World Cup history with a staggering 1167 runs in 30 matches at an average of 67.41. Notably, no other batter in the top 30 even averages over 50. Iconic performances like his unbeaten 82 against Pakistan in the 2022 edition and his unbeaten 82 against Australia in the 2016 quarterfinal solidify his status as a T20 World Cup legend. However, it's important to note that these achievements came while batting at number 3, a position Kohli has owned for years. This World Cup sees him in a new role – opener. While not entirely unfamiliar, having opened for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, it's a significant change at the international level. Even so, his record at the top isn't bad, he even scored a century against Afghanistan as an opener in the 2022 Asia Cup.
The bowling-friendly pitches in New York, combined with the pressure to score quickly from the start, might be hindering Virat Kohli's natural batting style. Across the matches against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA, he hasn't seemed entirely settled at the crease.
These low scores have sparked questions as to whether Indian team management should reconsider Kohli as an opener. Their current batting order, with Rohit Sharma and Kohli at the top and Rishabh Pant promoted to number 3, is unconventional. While Kohli hasn't fired, Pant has thrived in the new role. His aggressive batting at number 3 has been effective on these slow pitches. Shifting Kohli's position would mean moving Pant back down to number 5, where he hasn't historically performed well. However, captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid might consider an even bolder move: swapping Pant and Kohli's batting positions entirely.
Sanjay Bangar comes to Virat Kohli's defence amidst poor form
Meanwhile, former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar has dismissed concerns about Virat Kohli's form. Bangar believes there's no need to worry, highlighting the challenging conditions in New York. He pointed out that not just Kohli, but none of the batsmen have been able to score freely on those "two-paced tracks." The implication is that Kohli's struggles are more due to the pitches than a personal slump, and his runs are expected to flow once the tournament moves to a different location for the Super 8 stage.
"Yeah, I agree that Virat Kohli hasn't scored in the New York leg, but none of the other batsmen have also managed to score a lot of runs on this track. This is a tricky surface, and therefore, I feel that a big score is just around the corner. He is a player who has excelled at the World Cup events and once the tournament moves to the next phase, those competitive juices will start flowing again and he will start putting up performances for his team," Bangar told Star Sports.
While India have secured their spot in the Super 8 stage and will play their final Group A match against Canada on June 15, Saturday.
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