Virat Kohli will be seen in action during the Asia Cup as he took a short break from world cricket due to a dip in form. The star batsman is facing a batting nightmare, his last international ton coming almost three years ago in November 2019. Out-of-form Kohli has been rested for the West Indies tour, with questions over his future.
In the recent England tour, Kohli scored only 11 and 20 in the delayed Edgbaston Test. He then picked up 12 runs in two T20Is and followed it up with 17 and 16 runs in the three-match ODI series. The 33-year-old endured a grueling 12 months, during which he was also replaced as India’s captain across formats.
In stark contrast to his batting prowess, Kohli may have had a miserable run but former India player Sanjay Manjrekar praised his approach with a willow that shows a glimpse of the team’s attacking ‘philosophy’ in the 20-over format. “They should celebrate it because the class is back. Virat Kohli had some first hand experience of this new approach of India in T20 cricket in England. So he accepted it, not with great success but he accepted it. I have to give credit to Virat Kohli,” Manjrekar said on Sports18’s Sports Over the Top.
“He didn’t care if he ran or if he ran because he was desperate for runs in England and he was looking for international runs, but he still kind of supported the new philosophy of the Indian team. He was trying to hit boundaries off the number one ball,” he added. Kohli shared a clip from his training session on Thursday where he was seen running between the wickets. “A week of running into practice,” the star player wrote on his Instagram story. As defending champions India take on Pakistan in a high-octane clash on August 28, the focus will be on Kohli, who has made four T20I starts this year in which he has amassed just 81 runs at an average of 20.25.
Kohli hopes to find his lost mojo in the six-team tournament to be played in the UAE. India, Pakistan and the qualifying team are in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan form Group B. The top two teams from each group advance to the Super 4 round and the top two teams from the Super 4 qualify for the finals.
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