Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has said that the youngsters in the Indian team will learn from star India batter Virat Kohli on how to handle pressure after the star batter’s impressive knock of 85 on Sunday, October 8. However, Australia set a target of 199 runs, which was considered below par as well. But the Indian team found themselves in a poor situation early on in their innings as they lost three wickets for just two runs in the first two overs, leaving India in struggle as well. Later, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul added 165 runs with KL Rahul scoring an unbeaten 97.
Speaking to Star Sports, Gambhir said, “Well, I think it’s just the way you read the game. I think it’s very important. First, when you have to chase those big totals, you got to be able to absorb the pressure. You should have this self-belief, you can chase it down from any situation and position and, more importantly, when he does that in one-day cricket, you have got to realise it’s not about hitting those big shots.”
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“It’s about running between the wickets. It’s about rotating the strike. It’s about never putting yourself under pressure. The lesser dot balls you play, the better position you’re in, because you know that with these new rules, with five fielders inside and two new balls with any time to accelerate. But when your team is under pressure, that low risk cricket from there on, if you can continue to build that momentum, continue to build that foundation and that is exactly what he has done. He plays the ball. He was on 70-odd with only 5 boundaries. So, that just shows the ability to play spin and more importantly, the ability to rotate the strike against spin,” again shared Gambhir.
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir further added that modern-day young cricketers can definitely learn from Virat Kohli on handling and absorbing pressure during tough situations as well.
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“That is very important and that is why he’s so consistent. And I’m sure I think a lot of these young cricketers in the dressing room will learn the importance of fitness, the importance of running between the wicket and the importance of how to rotate strike in the middle as well, because with this new format with T20 cricket, a lot of these new guys want to keep hitting the ball out of the ground. But that’s not gonna be easy. Imagine when you’re 2 or 3 down for two. You can’t go out there and hit a long ball. You will still need to be able to absorb the pressure and try and rotate those strikes. And I’m sure these young cricketers coming through will learn from Virat Kohli,” concluded Gautam Gambhir.
