"Can't Have Such Huge Baggage...": Former Pakistan Star's Huge Statement On Virat Kohli

13.08.2022 - 14:11 sports.ndtv.com

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria feels Virat Kohli will have to perform in the upcoming Asia Cup if he wants to be a part of the T20 World Cup squad.

While Kohli has been one of the most consistent players of the last decade or so, his recent slump in form has raised doubts over his place in the Indian team.

Kaneria said that Kohli has the full backing of skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid and the star batter will have to repay the trust shown to him by the management. "If Virat Kohli returns, everyone is expecting him to come back with a bang.

If Kohli wants to be considered for the T20 World Cup, he will have to perform, either by hook or crook. You can't have such huge baggage with the team and then benching him will also be incredibly tough," Kaneria said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel. "No doubt he has the support of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid but he has to deliver," he said.

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Former India batter Wasim Jaffer expressed concerns over the lack of fluency in Virat Kohli's batting in the ongoing Asia Cup. The former India skipper scored 35 off 34 balls against Pakistan, before hitting an unbeaten 59 off 44 balls against Hong Kong. Jaffer also questioned Kohli's intent in the middle overs, saying that if it wasn't for Suryakumar Yadav's quickfire knock, India would've ended up with a below-par score. Jaffer also said that India needs someone who can score runs freely in the middle order.

Virat Kohli Surpasses Mohammad Rizwan To Achieve This Big Milestone In T20I Format

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli on Wednesday became the player with the highest average in the T20I format of cricket. He accomplished this feat during his side's Group A tie against Hong Kong in Dubai during the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. In this match, Virat Kohli showed glimpses of his old self and hit 59* off 44 balls, consisting of one four and three sixes. Now in 101 matches, Virat has scored 3,402 runs in T20Is at an average of 50.77. He has 31 half-centuries in the format, with the best individual score of 94*. He has a strike rate of 137.12.

"Not The Right Opposition To Judge Virat Kohli, But...": Gautam Gambhir On Star's Half-century vs Hong Kong

There was relief in store for Virat Kohli fans on Wednesday night as the former Indian cricket team captain scored 59* off 44 balls against Hong Kong in an Asia Cup match. After a lean patch that saw Kohli struggling for big scores, the half-century. Now in 101 matches, Virat has scored 3,402 runs in T20Is at an average of 50.77, which is the highest for anyone in the format. He has 31 half-centuries in the format, with the best individual score of 94*. He has a strike rate of 137.12. After the match, former Indian cricket team player Gautam Gambhir gave his take on the innings.

"Sounded Like He Found Himself In Quite A Dark Place": Ricky Ponting On Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli took a break from international cricket before returning to the Indian side for the Asia Cup 2022. He was rested for the tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe and the former India captain utilised the time to relax and shift his focus from cricket. Kohli has been struggling for runs in 2022 and the break must have helped him as he played a vital knock of 35 runs and finished as the joint-top scorer for India in the pressure match against Pakistan on Sunday and continued the uptick in his form with an unbeaten knock of 59 against Hong Kong.

"Don't Fiddle With Someone's Form": Gautam Gambhir Wants This India Star To Take Virat Kohli's No.3 Position In T20Is

The Indian cricket team batting line-up, after two matches at the Asia Cup, has shown a clear trend. Suryakumar Yadav, who is currently world no. 3 in ICC T20I rankings for batters, is coming to bat at No. 4 spot while former captain Virat Kohli is coming in at No. 3. However, going by recent form, Suryakumar has shown much greater capability to accelerate the innings than Kohli. Even former India batter Gautam Gambhir feels that Suryakumar should be played at the No. 3 spot.

"Waiting For One Big Knock...": Kapil Dev On Virat Kohli's Lean Patch

Legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev has said that star batter Virat Kohli looked good on his comeback against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022 campaign opener and it will not take him too long to be back in form. India won their Asia Cup campaign opener against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday by five wickets and chased down the target of 148 comfortably. Virat Kohli was the joint top-scorer in the match along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, as he played a solid knock of 35 of 34 balls. "Good to see him come back. I saw a couple of shots where he really made an impact. I just want him to be more sure about that. So far, he is coming back, he looked good. He was lucky in the first over when he was dropped. I like his attitude not only today, but from the last ten years. This makes him a bigger player than anyone else," said Kapil in an exclusive interview with ANI.