India vs England, 2nd T20I: With youngsters performing, pressure mounts on Virat Kohli ahead of his T20 return

08.07.2022 - 09:47 timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Kohli, who last played a T20 international in February, has featured in only two games since India's underwhelming campaign in the T20 World Cup in October-November when he was captain of the national side.

The only T20 cricket he played since then was in the IPL but there too he was far from his best. Read AlsoIndia vs England: My mindset doesn't take me too high, neither low, says Hardik PandyaSuccess and failure have stopped influencing star all rounder Hardik Pandya, who has learnt to live a "neutral life" with a lot of clarity.

Battling an injury-ravaged body, it was not easy for Pandya to return to the game. His career was in jeopardy but he made a grand comeback by leading Gujarat Kohli and other seniors getting frequent breaks as part of the team's rest and rotate policy gave opportunity to fringe players like Deepak Hooda, who will be difficult to drop on Saturday after the performances he has come up with.

Batting at Kohli's position, Hooda has made a big impact and also showed ominous form in the series opener against England, scoring a 17-ball 33.

cricket bowling India vs England on Rohit Sharma Hardik Pandya Ishan Kishan Deepak Hooda India

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Virat Kohli's form with the bat has been the biggest talking point in Indian cricket for a while now and the former India captain's struggles off late have led to talks about his place in the team. It is a well document fact by now that Kohli has not scored an international century since November 2019, but he was still getting in good knocks in all formats after international cricket resumed in late 2020 and 2021.

"A Wrong Signal": Ex-India Captain On Why Resting Virat Kohli Is A Bad Idea

Virat Kohli's current form is a hot topic of discussion. Not only has the former Indian cricket team captain failed to score a ton since 2019, his current form also fails to inspire confidence. He had a forgettable recent Tour of England too, where he could not score big in any of the three formats. Kohli is not part of the ODI and T20I squad for the Tour of West Indies. There has been no official communication about whether he has been dropped or rested. However, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar believes that Kohli can only get back to form if he plays.

You can never rule out a player of Virat Kohli's calibre: Dinesh Karthik

Virat Kohli, who is struggling to get back to form, has found support from his teammates. Just like India skipper Rohit Sharma, swashbuckling batter Dinesh Karthik has also come out in Kohli's support. "Virat has experienced insane success over the period of time. Now he will get a good break and will come back all recharged and hopefully will do phenomenally well. You can never rule out a player of his calibre," Karthik said on the sidelines of a training session with the budding cricketers at the PS Sports Excellence Arena here on Monday. Kohli has been rested for the West Indies tour which will begin on July 22.

Watch: Virat Kohli's String Of Low Scores Continues, Gets Caught Behind Off Reece Topley In 3rd ODI

Virat Kohli string of low scored continued in the third and deciding ODI against England in Manchester on Sunday as he was dismissed by pacer Reece Topley. Kohli started off well with some exquisite boundaries after India had lost Shikhar Dhawan in the third over chasing a 260-run target. However, in the ninth over bowled by Topley, Kohli again outside edged one to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler off a full delivery that fell on the middle and angled away. It marked the end of Kohli's innings.

Watch: Did Virat Kohli's Advice Help Mohammed Siraj Scalp Jonny Bairtsow And Joe Root In One Over?

Mohammed Siraj gave India a great start in the third and deciding ODI against England in Manchester on Sunday. Playing in place of the injured Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj took the wickets of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in the second over of the innings. He got Bairstow out for a duck with a delivery that angled in and took the leading edge to the fielder at mid-off. Then he got Root, with a ball that shaped away quite late, took the edge and fell into the hands of the fielder at second slip. Ahead of the over and in between deliveries, former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli could be seen having extended discussion with Siraj.