Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra wants Virat Kohli to stay in the middle for as long as possible in the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, Kohli returned to India’s T20I side in the second match of the ongoing series against Afghanistan, which was his first T20I game since the 2022 T20 World Cup. He scored 29 runs off 16 balls at a strike rate of 181.25, with five fours.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “Kohli has all types of gears. He can play fast or slow. He can play at a run-a-ball as well. Kohli is at his best when he stays for a long time. You feel scared going into a jungle because a lion is there. It’s not mandatory that the lion will eat you whenever you enter a jungle but the knowledge of the lion being there scares you. Virat Kohli is that lion. You (opposing teams) are always scared when Virat Kohli is at the crease.”

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Aakash Chopra added that Virat Kohli’s career strike rate is around 138. He also added that when he plays at that pace, he doesn’t look to smash boundary in every ball, but can create magic whenever needed as well. And, Chopra doesn’t expect the T20 World Cup games to be high-scoring affairs as well.

“The lion needs to be there on the pitch, especially on those pitches where totals will be between 160 and 180. 220 won’t be scored there. So you expect Virat Kohli to stand there and accelerate later,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “The knock which was called the innings of the century, the Pakistan one, there also you will find that he was going at slightly higher than a run-a-ball. He accelerated in the end and won India the game. If Virat goes ultra-aggressive, consistency could be a casualty, and that’s not what you want.”