India's legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh has defended Virat Kohli's patchy performance with the bat in the initial three matches of the T20 World Cup 2024, attributing the poor showing of Indian batters to challenging pitch conditions. The matches were held at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, a venue that has proven to be difficult for scoring. The highest team total recorded at this stadium was just 137 runs by Canada, indicating a low-scoring trend that affected all teams. Despite these conditions, Team India secured victories in all three low-scoring games. Virat Kohli struggled at the top of the order, scoring only 1, 4, and 0 against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA, respectively. Meanwhile, his opening partner, Rohit Sharma, also had difficulties, although he managed to score a half-century against Ireland in the first game. Consequently, Kohli has yet to make a significant impact as an opener in this T20 World Cup.
Harbhajan Singh defends Kohli amidst form slump
Meanwhile, commentator Harbhajan says judging Indian batsmen, especially Virat Kohli, on these pitches is unfair. He believes the wickets haven't been ideal for scoring runs in the first World Cup matches.
"I will get a lot of shortcomings if I try to find them on that pitch, but I do not want to judge anyone on that pitch because batting was difficult on that pitch. There was a lot of help for the bowlers. However, the one thing I would want to see is consistency," he told Sports Star.
"Virat Kohli didn't score runs there because the conditions were like that. You cannot judge a player in those conditions. He has come here from there, his confidence will be high here. As Navjot Sidhu also said, all batters would have offered Prasad as they got rid of that pitch," he further added.
Team India is gearing up for their final Group A match against Canada. This encounter will be played at a new location – the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida. This venue holds a special significance as it's not only the first and oldest cricket ground in the USA, but it's also known for being a high-scoring pitch. With this change in scenery, former cricketer Harbhajan believes it could be a turning point for Virat Kohli. Singh anticipates a strong performance from Kohli in the upcoming India vs. Canada clash.
"Runs are obviously expected from Virat Kohli here. Along with that, we need to consistently see partnerships which we weren't getting in the first six overs. Then your middle order is set", the former spinner further said.
Kohli has switched gears in the T20 World Cup 2024, abandoning his usual number three spot to open alongside Rohit Sharma. While their partnership hasn't quite exploded yet, a change of scenery could be just what they need. The upcoming match against Canada will be played at a high-scoring ground in Florida, a stark contrast to the pitches they've faced so far. This might ignite the spark they possessed during the IPL last month. Remember, Kohli was the IPL's top scorer, and Sharma even smashed a century. With their recent IPL form fresh in their minds, a dominant opening stand from this experienced pair could be on the horizon.
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