Amid a worrisome slump in form for Virat Kohli, Team India coach Rahul Dravid came out in support of the premier batter, underlining that he was due to score a big one in the 2024 T20 World Cup final on Saturday.
“You know with Virat, the thing is, when you play a slightly high-risk brand of cricket there can be times when it doesn’t come off. Even today, I thought he hit a good six to set the tempo but he was just unlucky that the ball seamed a little bit more. But I love the intent, I love the way he went about doing it. It sets a good example for the group as well if he’s willing to do it,” Rahul Dravid said in the post-match press conference following India's victory over England in the semis in Guyana on Thursday.
“And you know, for some reason, I don’t want to jinx it but I think there’s a big one coming up. I’m just loving his attitude and that he’s committing himself on the field – I think he deserves it,” Rahul Dravid added.
Before Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma backed Virat Kohli to do well in the title clash against South Africa during the weekend.
“He is a quality player. Any player can go through that. We do understand his class and we do understand his importance in all these big games. Form is never a problem. When you've played cricket for 15 years, form is never a problem. He's looking good, the intent is there, he's probably saving for the final. Absolutely,” the Team India skipper said.
On Thursday, Virat Kohli was dismissed for nine by Reece Topley in the third over of the Indian innings as his disastrous campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup continued against the Three Lions.
After Jos Buttler decided to field first, Virat Kohli joined his captain, Rohit Sharma, at the top of the order, with hopes from the Delhi-born cricketer running high, especially after six consecutive failures in the prestigious International Cricket Council (ICC) event.
Furthermore, England had beaten India in the semi-final of the last edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, and the Men in Blue were all geared up to avenge that loss, everyone was expecting Virat Kohli to unleash his magic on the ground since he is a big-match player.
However, it didn't happen because Virat Kohli lost his leg stump when he tried to smash Reece Topley out of the park after an earlier hit for a six in the over.
His fall, this time around, was due to his efforts to up the tempo after a slow start from him.
His latest failure, seventh in succession in the 2024 T20 World, ignited fan ire on social media.
In the previous game against Australia, Virat Kohli miscued a Josh Hazlewood delivery in the second over of the Indian innings. The ball went high in the air before it was comfortably taken by Australian wicketkeeper Tim David behind the stumps.
This was the second time in this year's edition of the T20 World Cup that Virat Kohli has been dismissed for naught. During the group stage of the tournament, USA's Saurabh Netravalkar sent him packing without troubling the scorers – his maiden Golden duck in the competition.
With his zero against Australia, Virat Kohli joined Ashish Nehra in an unwanted list of Indian players, who have made two ducks in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. Ashish Nehra accomplished the forgetful feat during the 2010 T20 World Cup.
The former India captain has had an agonizing 2024 T20 World Cup, to say the least.
The 35-year-old batter began his campaign in the top international T20 World Cup with a score of 1 against Ireland before failing miserably against arch-rivals Pakistan, where he was dismissed for 4.
Interestingly, it was his lowest score against the Green Army in the T20 World Cup.
In the third match for the Men in Blue in the tournament, Saurabh Netravalkar, who once represented India in the U-19 World Cup, ended Virat Kohli's plans of rejuvenation, showing him the path to the pavilion after scalping him for a duck.
Though Virat Kohli made a scrappy 24 off 24 deliveries against Afghanistan and 37 off 28 balls against Bangladesh in the subsequent two games, he never looked in his finest touch. Instead, it appeared like he was laboring for runs in the middle.
One of the main reasons attributed to Virat Kohli's spectacular slump in form is his batting position. Throughout his international career, the premier India batter has batted at No.3. But in the T20 World Cup, he's been promoted as an opener – a position some experts, including AB de Villiers, believe has done more harm than good to his morale in the event.
Nonetheless, Virat Kohli's underwhelming performance in the semi-final did not cost India much as they demolished England at the Providence Stadium to reach their first T20 World Cup final in a decade, thanks to solid batting performances from Rohit Sharma (57 off 39), Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 36) and Hardik Pandya (23 off 13) and splendid bowling displays from Axar Patel (3/23), Kuldeep Yadav (3/19) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/12).