Former Indian player turned commentator Sunil Gavaskar has backed star batter Virat Kohli amid his poor form in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup. Kohli has scored only five runs in three innings at a dismal average of 1.66 and a strike rate of 55.55 as well.
While talking to Star Sports at the end of the India-USA contest, Gavaskar said, “When you get three low scores, it doesn’t mean he is not batting well. Sometimes you get good deliveries. Any other day, the ball would’ve gone wide or over the slip for a boundary, today it didn’t. So, there’s nothing to worry about. We have to show faith in him. Much believe that he is going to come good, sooner rather than later.”
However, Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history with 1,146 runs at an average of 67.41 and a strike rate of 130.52 in 30 games as well. Sunil Gavaskar also reminded fans of Kohli’s records and asked the star batter to remain patient and trust his ability as well. However, Kohli came in the ongoing T20 World Cup on the back of a sensational IPL 2024 season. He won the Orange Cap with 741 runs at an average of 61.75 and a strike rate of almost 155 in 15 games as well.
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“The biggest motivation for any players is to win matches, especially when you are playing for your country. He has done so well for India over the years and won so many games. I think he recognises that. We are in the early phases of the tournament. There’s Super 8s, semi-finals, and hopefully the final. All he needs to do is show patience and faith in himself, which i think he has plenty,” said Gavaskar.
The veteran has also praised Arshdeep for doing well.
“I do believe that he, like, Bumrah can be a very, very good bowler in red-ball cricket as well. Because if he can move the white ball so well, just imagine what he can do with the red ball. So I think the selection committee would do very well to look at him as an option for the red-ball game as well. He looked to bowl at hard lengths, looking to get the ball into the right-hander, and a little away for the left-handers. That’s been his strength, to be able to get both those deliveries on the spot and he wasn’t looking to bowl too many yorkers today, he was looking to bowl the hard lengths. And his temperament is fantastic,” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.
