West Indies Legend Brian Lara Come Out in Support of Out of Form Virat Kohli in T20 World Cup 2024
West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara has shown his support for Virat Kohli, who has been struggling for form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 held in the West Indies and the USA. On Thursday, June 20, India faced Afghanistan in their first Super 8 encounter at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Despite India’s convincing 47-run victory while defending 181/8, Kohli’s run-a-ball 24 raised concerns about his current form. Lara, however, urged patience from both the Indian team management and fans, emphasizing that there are many games left in the 20-nation tournament.
Brian Lana on Virat Kohli Form in T20 World Cup 2024
Kohli has so far scored just 29 runs in four matches in the tournament. In the game against Afghanistan, he looked set before being dismissed by Rashid Khan while attempting a big shot. Lara, commenting on Star Sports, stated, “24 off 24, you can say that’s not great but the most important thing is that he spent some time out there. India has got one step closer to winning this trophy. I believe that Virat Kohli is just gonna go from strength to strength as he comes down to the Caribbean. He’s going to Antigua next, you’re gonna see him go out there and plough and plough, he’s gonna get runs. When he gets into full swing, it’s a different story. We just have to be very patient with him, we’re gonna see a lot of him there’s still a lot of games left in this World Cup.”
Amidst Kohli’s form issues, South African cricket great AB de Villiers made a specific suggestion to the Indian team management before their Super 8 clash against Bangladesh. On his YouTube channel, de Villiers recommended batting Kohli at number three, saying, “I have always said please bat Virat at number three. Especially in better wickets that they will play now, Virat is the go-to guy at number three. He can play the attacking game and also pull back and absorb the pressure if necessary. He is the best player in the world in the middle overs. I do not see any reasons (for opening).”
In the Super 8 match against Afghanistan, India, led by Rohit Sharma, posted a competitive total of 181 for 8 after choosing to bat first. Suryakumar Yadav’s 53, Hardik Pandya’s 32 off 24 balls, and Rishabh Pant’s quickfire 20 off 11 balls were instrumental in setting up the target. Jasprit Bumrah’s exceptional bowling (3 for 7) and Arshdeep Singh’s contributions (3 for 36) helped dismiss Afghanistan for 134, securing the win for India.
With this victory, India remains one of the three unbeaten teams in the T20 World Cup. Their next Super 8 fixture is against Bangladesh on Saturday, June 22, in Antigua. India, the one-time T20 World Cup champions, are placed in Group 1 alongside Australia, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
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