Former India coach Ravi Shastri criticized Virat Kohli’s very aggressive playing style in the 2024 T20 World Cup after Kohli scored just 9 runs in the semi-final against England. Kohli missed a chance to perform well for India in a crucial match when he was bowled out by English left-arm fast bowler Reece Topley in the third over at Providence Stadium in Guyana on June 27.
Kohli swung wildly at every ball, trying to score quickly, but he missed most of them. In the third over, he hit a full-length ball for a six over mid-wicket, but then Topley changed his bowling style. Kohli lost his balance while moving forward to hit the ball and ended up getting bowled. He was at the crease for only 9 balls and scored 9 runs.
During a break in the rain on Thursday, Ravi Shastri told Star Sports that Virat Kohli should have played more cautiously and not tried to hit big shots so early in the game, particularly in the third over, especially since Rohit Sharma was playing well at the other end.
“That’s not how he usually plays. He’s playing too aggressively too soon, especially with Rohit Sharma already playing aggressively. Virat can easily catch up if he just takes a bit more time at the start. He’s more traditional in his approach. He should stick to that style. If he tries to play differently, he’ll likely get out that way,” Shastri explained.
“The important thing is rhythm. It’s not perfect yet. If the chance is near him, he can take it. But he has forced shots that weren’t really there. When you’re playing really well, like after scoring 300 runs in the games, you can do that naturally. It just happens. But when you’re trying to score more and the runs aren’t coming, it’s not simple,” he explained.
Virat Kohli hasn’t been successful as an opener for India in the T20 World Cup. Before the tournament, he had a great IPL 2024, scoring 741 runs and winning the Orange Cap.
But, Kohli’s aggressive approach hasn’t worked well on the difficult pitches in the T20 World Cup 2024. He has scored only 75 runs in 7 games, reaching 20 runs just twice.
Nasser Hussain, a former England captain, thinks Kohli shouldn’t have been so aggressive, especially while trying to find his form.
“I believe the talk about his intentions and if he should play at this speed. I think it’s about the rhythm. He’s been working hard to find his rhythm again, especially after playing in New York on a tough field. If you’re playing really well and you’re in good shape on a good field, then just play freely, like on the Adelaide field. But if you’re not in rhythm and the field is tricky, I’m sure England is happy that Kohli played that way today. I think Kohli should have played like he usually does, which he’s been doing for ten years,” he said.
In the semi-final, India lost both Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant early in the game, but captain Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav saved the game by making a partnership of over 50 runs.
