Sunil Gavaskar backs Virat Kohli to bounce back against Pakistan
In India‘s T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland, batting icon Virat Kohli showcased a rare failure, despite Hardik Pandya’s heroics and Rohit Sharma’s milestone achievements. Kohli was selected ahead of in-form youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal for the match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Rohit went all guns blazing, but Kohli mistimed his shot, leading to a forgettable day. The former India captain was dismissed for just 1 off 5 balls. Prior to India’s match against Ireland, Kohli had averaged 81.5 in the T20 World Cup, converting 14 of his 25 innings into 50-plus scores. However, his shot towards third man resulted in a thick edge, and Kohli recorded his lowest score in the tournament.
Despite a disappointing start in the tournament, legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar believes Kohli will bounce back against arch-rivals Pakistan. Gavaskar backed Kohli to excel in the high-stakes clash and deliver another terrific performance against Babar Azam’s and Co on the grandest stage.
“Top batters like Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and Joe Root have a relentless drive to perform. When they fail in one match, they are eager to make amends in the next. Their mindset is to score double the runs to compensate for any shortfall. So, he’s scored less against Ireland, he will aim to score big against Pakistan as that it will make up for the previous setback,” stated Gavaskar.
Veteran batter Kohli, known as the ‘chasemaster’, delivered a series of impressive performances while leading India’s run-chases at the T20 World Cup. He posted scores of 78*, 36*, 54, 57*, 72*, 23, 55*, and 82. However, his low score of 1 against Ireland marked his poorest outing in a run-chase for India at the tournament.
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