India has made it to the Super-8 stage of the T20 World Cup. To no one’s surprise, the Men in Blue have topped their group, winning all completed games. Despite all Virat Kohli lacking form still remains to be of major concern for India.
Playing in the difficult tracks of the USA, batting conditions have not been easy, and the Indian batting lineup has also faced serious trouble. In the second match of the World Cup against rival Pakistan, Indian batters struggled early and throughout as they could manage 119 runs in their innings.
Though India has won all matches, they have failed to show dominance due to the lack of proliferation in their batting. Bumrah and Pandya led them to a win against Pakistan, defending a very low total, while Suryakumar and Dube rescued India against a heavily dominating USA in a low chase of 111 runs.
But despite India’s efforts, one major concern for India has been their batting front. The lower-order batters have not had much of an opportunity except against Pakistan, in which they failed badly.
On the other hand, the middle order has been far better, especially with Rishabh Pant’s subtle dominance with the bat, and even SKY and Dube have stepped in whenever the Men in Blue needed it.
However, the major concern for India has been the lack of touch for their two openers, skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper has still shown some touch as he has a bit of a run, with Kohli scoring 5 runs in 3 games, averaging just 1.67.
No one is unaware of Virat’s stunning calibre in the shortest format of the game, as the legend has redefined modern cricket by scoring 4000+ runs in the shortest format. He has been India’s highest run scorer even in the last T20 World Cup back in Australia in 2022.
Much was anticipated that Kohli would continue his stunning form from the 2023 World Cup in India and the IPL 2024 into the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA. However, Kohli has failed to absolutely star in the front, as he was given the crucial role of an opener.
1 against Ireland, 4 against Pakistan, and a golden duck against the USA. This is not what defines the Indian Great, and hence his form has been a major cause of debate. India would hence consider demoting him down the order to his casual position of No. 3, where he fits in the best in the squad.
If a change in position can revive the form of the Indian veteran, then this would be his last chance against Afghanistan; otherwise, the great would be replaced by any player, as such a tournament cannot be continued by a player with such inconsistent form.
Restoring his form would be a major focus for the veteran, not only for individual glory but also for the benefit of the entire team, as India’s further progress in the tournament would depend upon India’s run machine, Virat Kohli.
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