It might not have been the kind of performance that Virat Kohli might have envisioned for himself. The batter has been struggling to find runs with the bat in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, but the Indian Head Coach, Rahul Dravid believes that he just might be saving the big knock for the finale against South Africa.
The Indian team secured their spot in the final after beating the defending champions England by 68 runs. The captain, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were the pick of the batters while the spin-duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav ran riot with the ball to seal the deal.
READ MORE: T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma Says Virat Kohli is ‘Saving it for the Final’
Kohli’s string of poor performances with the bat continued as Reece Topley dismissed him for just a run-a-ball 9, which fueled concerns on whether he should be demoted back to the number three slot. The icon was coming in red-hot form having scored the most runs in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League and many thought it might be his time to shine at the top of the order for the Indian T20I side.
This has not been the case with Kohli scoring a total of 75 runs in the seven games he has played which is far from his usual standards. But Dravid sees no issue with his string of low scores and went on to appreciate his newfound aggressive intent, taking more risks, where he looks to capitalise on the fielding restrictions in the first six overs.
READ MORE: T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma Says Virat Kohli is ‘Saving it for the Final’
Dravid commented after the game against England, “You know with Virat, the thing is, when you play a slightly high-risk brand of cricket there can be times when it doesn’t come off. Even today, I thought he hit a good 6 to set the tempo but he was just unlucky that the ball seamed a little bit more. But I love the intent, I love the way he went about doing it. It sets a good example for the group as well if he’s willing to do it”.
The Indian head coach still believes that there is a big knock left in Kohli and cheekily hinted that he might be saving it for the final where India would need it the most.
“And you know, for some reason, I don’t want to jinx it but I think there’s a big one coming up. I’m just loving his attitude and that he’s committing himself on the field – I think he deserves it”.
The Indian team have a fairly quick turnover as they take on South Africa for the title. The fixture is set to take place at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.
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