Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal believes that India’s stalwart batter Virat Kohli should be restored to the number three spot after the experienced star had another lean outing at the top.
In the ongoing T20 World Cup, India revamped their T20I combination by placing Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma as the opening pair, promoting Rishabh Pant to the number three spot.
Pant’s promotion at the top allows India to enjoy a left and right-handed combination at the top. However, since Kohli’s promotion to opener, he has managed to amass just five runs in eight deliveries across both matches. Akmal feels that Kohli should come out to bat at the number three spot, as his presence in the opening order disrupts the batting line-up of the Indian team.
“You are ruining his confidence and your team’s combination. I don’t think we will see a player like Virat Kohli. He has made his name because of his passion and performance. I think the Indian team is making a mistake by making Virat open,” Akmal said on his YouTube channel.
Against their arch-rival, Pakistan in New York, a long stay at the crease for Kohli seemed likely after he easily found the fence. However, Naseem Shah lured him into playing the wrong shot, leading to Kohli’s early dismissal. Despite losing Kohli early, India was cruising till the 11th over, scoring runs at a healthy run rate of close to eight. India looked well set to put up a competitive total of 160 runs on the board. However, Suryakumar’s dismissal initiated a collapse from which the Indian team could never recover. Akmal pointed out that the wrong selection of shots played a major role in the collapse of the Indian team.
“You can also see the shot selection of Rohit and then the way Virat, Hardik, Dubey, and Surya lost their wickets. All of them played the wrong shots,” Akmal added.
Despite being bundled out for 119, a spirited performance from the Indian bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah, helped India walk away with a six-run win. India will now face co-hosts USA on Wednesday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
