Team India qualified for the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup earlier this week, defeating the United States in its third group match in New York. On a tricky surface at the venue, India began their campaign with a cruising 8-wicket win over Ireland before a nail-biting finish against arch-rivals Pakistan saw them clinch a six-run win. In their last match against hosts USA, India survived an early hiccup to chase down a 111-run target, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten fifty from Suryakumar Yadav.
However, one batter who hasn’t been able to make a mark in the ongoing edition is Virat Kohli. While Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, scored a half-century in the first game, Kohli has failed to breach the double figures and registered a golden duck in the game against USA – his first at the T20 World Cups. Kohli is opening the innings alongside Rohit in the tournament, a position he played in the last two months for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, too.
Dinesh Karthik, the former Indian wicketkeeper-batter who played alongside Kohli at RCB earlier this year, was asked to comment on the lack of scoring from India’s two batting stalwarts in the T20 World Cup. The former India star, however, waived off concerns over their form, and spoke in particular about Virat Kohli, insisting that the batter will return to form when India travel to the West Indies for the Super Eight stage.
“Rohit just got a 50 in first match. How much can he score on these pitches? Team itself is only scoring 100. Don’t worry about Virat Kohli. He will score when it matters,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.
“He is never not performed in the World Cup, and there is no doubt about this World Cup too. He will 100 per cent perform. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Virat Kohli will be there. We have qualified for the Super Eight. I promise you, he will be all guns blazing once we reach the Caribbean.”
India meet Canada next
Team India will end its group stage with a game against Canada in Florida on Saturday. The weather conditions, however, pose a doubt over the match as heavy rains are expected in the region.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
