The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has backed Virat Kohli to end his barren run with the bat amid a prolonged slump in form for the talismanic Team India batter in the T20 World Cup.
“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,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“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,” the 1983 World Cup winner elaborated.
On Wednesday, India-born Saurabh Netravalkar of the USA dismissed Virat Kohli during the T20 World Cup in New York.
Notably, Saurabh Netravalkar removed the Team India superstar for a golden duck at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
With Virat Kohli registering his maiden golden duck in the T20 World Cup, his terrible run in the tournament extended to three matches in a row.
The Delhi-born cricketer arrived in the US after having a stellar Indian Premier League (IPL), recording one of his best seasons in the 17 editions of the competition.
During the 17th edition of the tournament, Virat Kohli made 741 runs in 15 matches, thus becoming the only batter to cross the 700-run barrier this year.
With this, Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap for the second time in the history of the IPL, having previously bagged it in 2016.
In 2016, Virat Kohli struck a phenomenal 973 runs, which remains a record in the event.
But he began his T20 World Cup campaign with a score of 1 off 5 deliveries against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in the Big Apple last week.
On a lively pitch that was aiding fast bowlers, Virat Kohli slashed hard at the ball delivered by Mark Adair. However, he could only get a thick edge, and Benjamin White, who was standing at third man, did the rest.
The 35-year-old batter followed his 1 against Ireland by scoring four runs against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Interestingly, it was his lowest score against the Green Army in the T20 World Cup.
After experiencing two successive failures, everyone expected Virat Kohli to find his groove against the USA but it wasn't meant to be.
Saurabh Netravalkar, who once represented India in the U-19 World Cup, ended Virat Kohli's plans of rejuvenation as soon as he arrived at the crease to open the batting with skipper Rohit Sharma.
Enticing Virat Kohli with a little bit of a wide delivery outside the off stump, Saurabh Netravalkar sent him back to the pavilion after he edged the ball to be caught behind by the wicketkeeper.
It is worth noting that in the past, Virat Kohli has had difficulties against left-arm bowlers, and Saurabh Netravalkar was no exception. With the track helping the fast bowlers, Saurabh Netravalkar's delivery moved after pitching and Virat Kohli was unable to handle it, thus losing his wicket for naught against the hosts.
Virat Kohli's horrible run in the T20 World Cup has ignited an intense debate among former cricketers – while some suggest that he should play at the No.3 position in the batting order, a place he has tasted most of his success in the format, others believe that he should follow his time-tested approach of settling down in the middle, rather going out aggressive from the word go.
Former Team India cricketer Mohammad Kaif in particular wants him to bat at No.3 because at the position he would have enough time to settle down before playing with intent afterwards.
“I believe Virat Kohli should bat at number three. He has been opening in these seaming conditions where batting is not easy, unlike the flat pitches in the IPL. He plays excellently and aggressively, but perhaps here, he shouldn't play aggressively; maybe he should play to save his wicket,” Mohammad Kaif said in a video posted on Twitter, now X.
“At number three, Virat Kohli will play his natural game. He will have time to settle and analyze the game. Scoring 50-60 runs would be great for him. His stats at this position in previous World Cups are impressive. If Rishabh Pant can move from number five to number three, then he can also open from number three. You will get a left-right combination, with Kohli at number three and Suryakumar Yadav at number four.”